Believe
by AmyHime
Summary: You begin a journey to discover the truth about yourself, the truth about life and death and the truth about Shinigami. If only you were strong enough to help your friends... This is your story. Your adventure. Set in Arrancar Arc. Please enjoy!
1. CHP 1: Remnants of the past

**Hiya folks! Thank you so much for taking interest in my story, and please drop me a review or a PM if you have any questions about it! I got a weird little idea for a fan-fic, a long time ago.. So this is pretty old, I've just finally decided to upload it! **

**So just so it's said, this isn't an ordinary Fan-Fic... In this story, you are the heroine. If you think I should give 'your' character a name, and information instead of just using _ as your name, and getting you to insert your own hair colour/eye colour (if ever applicable) please let me know. Majority of this story will be in your POV. But not all of it. So tell me what you think, and I'll change according to popular vote.  
**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Kubo Tite, so I do not own Bleach. (And that goes for the entire story)!**

**_~Believe~_**

* * *

The sunlight beamed down to the earth, basking it in its rich glow. The luminosity danced over a young face; your eyelids gently fluttered from the sunlight's contact with your bright pools. You groaned slightly, blocking the sun out of your eyes with your hand. Gently sighing, eventually surrendering yourself to the shade of a tree that was growing in the school's courtyard. You leaned against it for a moment, staring off in the direction of one of the classroom windows, half-heartedly. With a quick stretch and a long, dragged out yawn, you drifted off into thought to think of your plans for the afternoon.

You had been preparing for this day, for quite some time; you went as far as asking your grandfather for time off from your usual shrine duties as a Miko. You had promised yourself you would gain the courage to talk to your friend, who seemed much too busy for you lately. He was always slipping out with the transfer student, Rukia. The others told you that they were secretly dating, but you knew better than that. But of course you also knew that most female's enjoyed gossip and they were just another victim of such things.

You had seen it a few times. At first, you would only tell yourself that you were crazy; imagining it. It had to be that, what else could it possibly be? Even if you were a Miko, and things such as spirits and ghosts were a common sight to you; this was difficult to believe. However, as time went on, it happened more frequently. You heard those awful, ear-splitting screams that tore through the tranquillity of the night. Those unholy screeches would haunt you forever and follow you to your nightmares.

However, that was not nearly as mystifying as what else you had discovered. Maybe they hadn't sensed your presence; maybe they were too busy fighting those… monsters. You now knew it was real, and could not deny that fact anymore. There was no doubt about it.

Kurosaki Ichigo was a Shinigami.

The robes, the sword, all of it; it seemed to come together accordingly. Why was he a Shinigami? You worried for his safety as the monsters you would see him fight were huge, terrifying… Powerful. Moreover, it wasn't only him; Inoue Orihime, Ishida Uryuu, Yasutora Sado… They all seemed to have some special ability and connection with him as well.

You mentally scoffed. You were the one who was supposed to protect your friends; it's what you trained for your whole life. Being a medium, so to speak, it was supposed to be a second nature to you. Growing up in the Shinto with your grandfather had demanded you of many skills: Including miniscule things as Miko-Mai, a form of dance and also others of more advanced grandeur; Martial arts, Kendo, etc. None of which you were very skilled at, though. You could often be somewhat clumsy, but it was part of your job to at least know the basics.

You reminisced of the times long past and your childhood memories; those days when Ichigo and his family would often visit the Shinto. That is where you had first become friends with him. It was about a year or so after his mother had passed away, and his younger sisters, Karin and Yuzu, would constantly cling to him. He was a depressed little boy, but within all understanding.

But life was different now and the both of you had grown up. Your lives were on completely different courses. However, that does not mean you would simply give up on your friendship. Oh no, you still had some fight in ya! It was your desire to help somehow.

You shook your head wearily to break the chain of thoughts. If you didn't do it today, you would continue to put it off. You dragged yourself from the comfort of the tree covering, and staggered towards the school.

When you entered into the classroom, there were only a few students still inside. You scanned the room for Ichigo, but didn't see him anywhere. He wouldn't be one to so easily miss, with his bright orange hair and all.

"Hey, did you guys see Ichigo?" You asked the remaining students, who looked at you briefly.

"He just left with a bunch of weird looking people." One spoke up, sounding distracted.

"Weird looking people?" You asked as it obviously had peaked your interest.

Keigo sneaked up behind you, placing his hands on your shoulders and began shouting dramatically.

"Yes! There was a blond girl with huuuuuge… which looked very scandalous in her uniform top!" He giggled perversely, causing you to roll your eyes at his antics, "Then there was a cocky bald dude, with a wooden sword, a pretty boy with a bob-cut, a redhead with crazy tattoos, and a silver haired midget!" You raised your eyebrows when he finished his description. It was quite the colourful group of people, you thought to yourself. Maybe Keigo was only making up stories, trying to cover for Ichigo, or something.

"Thanks, Keigo. I'll see if I can catch up with him." You nodded, deciding to believe his story.

"No problem, _(your name)_!" He called out happily, as you turned to leave the classroom.

* * *

Unfortunately, you had just missed him, but that was to be expected, nothing ever seems to go according to plan. After searching the entire school without a trace of Ichigo, you decided it was a safe bet he would be at his house. If he wasn't, you could wait there for him, as he shouldn't be out too late, unless he had to fight the monsters.

Luckily Ichigo didn't live too far away from the school-A short walk from the school had gotten you to your destination so you could finally confront him. You made your way up to the side door of the Kurosaki residence, instead of the clinic entrance. Your hands were stiffly placed by your side, nervously clenched into fists. There's no way you could let yourself chicken out now, you were already here. You took a deep breath to attempt to calm your now jumping nerves.

It's not as if you really had planned what you wanted to say, in the first place. If worst came to worst, you could just play it off as a surprise visit, only if you couldn't muster the courage. At least that's what you would tell yourself to try to boost your confidence.

You slowly lifted your hand, retracting slightly in hesitation. Your body seemed to move on its own, and placed several firm knocks against the wood. No turning back now!

A few minutes went by before the doorknob began to turn. Tiny pellets of sweat were beginning to form on your forehead as you saw the metallic object spin around.

_What am I so nervous for? We're friends, he has to understand! _You mentally encouraged yourself.

A little girl with bright hair which was pulled back slightly with a strawberry pin poked her head out the door, immediately smiling upon seeing the visitor.

"_-chan!" She burst out, tackling you into a brisk hug. You returned the hug, sliding a hand through the younger girls light coloured locks.

"Hello, Yuzu-chan. It's been awhile, huh?" You spoke, trying to keep your voice from cracking as her face as buried into you.

Yuzu released you from the hug, giving you a dimpled smile, "It has. I've missed you so much." She opened the door wider, giving you a full view of the inside of her home, "Come in! I'm sure everyone else wants to see you."

You entered the house, removing your shoes respectfully. Yuzu jumped around childishly, asking an onslaught of questions consisting of 'How have you been?', 'What have you been doing?', 'Why didn't you come visit more often?', and so on. It had not been that long since you last saw each other. Forgetting that time moves much slower for a child than it does for a teenager.

"_-channn~!" A shrill call resounded through the hall as the two of you made your way to the kitchen. Kurosaki Isshin had come flying - Literally - towards you, arms wide open. Strings of what one would presume to be tears spilling from his eyes and flowing out behind him. Before he was able to make it to you, he was stopped by a swift kick to the face from Yuzu's tomboy-ish sister, Karin. Halting him completely as he fell to the floor and nearly breaking his face upon impact.

"Yo." Karin greeted, lifting her eyes towards you from underneath her red cap. You struggled to stifle a laugh that dared to escape at the family's antics. Oh, how you had missed their hilarious routines, the familiarity, and the sense of 'Family'; they hadn't changed at all.

"Hello Karin, hello Mr. Kurosaki," you broke into a smile, drifting to and from your happy memories of the family.

Isshin raised himself from the floor, clutching his nose tightly.

"Oh, Masaki! Our daughters are so mean to me!" He whined, but quickly recomposed himself by dusting his pants, "Well, if it isn't _. You've been a stranger to us for the past while."

You bowed in response, with the utmost respect, "I'm sorry! It's just that I have been so busy! I haven't had the time to-" Isshin placed a hand on the top of your head, causing you to break your sentence. He ruffled your hair slightly to your dismay, not wanting to get your hair to get messed up, and have to fix it again.

"Of course we understand! Right, Yuzu?" His deep voice resounding loudly, as he turned to Yuzu, she nodded in response to her father's comments. "What can you expect from a teenage girl? I'm sure your adolescent hormones and curiosity has got you busy with all the boys!"

Karin sighed, waving off her father, "I hope you remembered not to take his comments seriously."

You smiled, feeling so welcome and at home with them. The nostalgic atmosphere made you nearly forget the main reason you came here in the first place.

"Oh yeah. Is Ichigo around?" The feeling of nervousness once again flooded your body, your knees daring to buckle.

"He's upstairs. Go right up!" Yuzu grabbed your hand, and began dragging you up the stairs. The two of you came to a door with a familiar '15' sign nailed to it. She stopped in front of it, and turned to look up at you with her eyes beaming with curiosity.

"He was with a weird group of people earlier, do you know them?" She enquired, cocking her head slightly to the side, in a cute, childish manner.

"Sorry Yuzu, I have no idea who they are. Someone at school told me they saw him with them, though." You bent over to her height, and told her, assuming it was the same group Keigo spoke of. Yuzu looked a bit disappointed, but nodded. Then without another second to spare, she barged into the room without even knocking.

"Brother, you have someone here to see you!" Yuzu announced, pushing you with her elbow slightly, to get you to step into the room. Ichigo's eyes widened slightly when they landed on his guest. You instantly scratched the back of your neck, looking away from him. Your stomach knotted, and you quickly began searching your brain for something to say.

"Been a long time since I came here, huh Ichigo?" was the only thing you were able to conjure up, and you had said it more superficially than you intended.

Ichigo mocked your previous movements, "yeah."

Yuzu took the awkwardness as her cue to quietly leave, and closed the door behind her. You fumbled your thumbs together, restlessly, looking at the bandages that were wrapped around his head, and the ones slapped onto his cheek, "Actually, I came here because I wanted to talk to you about something…" You got straight to the point, figuring small talk would only elude you further from bringing it up.

Seeing the bandages only made you worry more, you didn't want to see him get hurt. It advocated you to find means of assisting.

"Should I leave?" A female voice spouted out, grabbing your attention. Rukia was standing in the far corner of the room, leaning against the closet door; you hadn't even noticed her presence. You thought about what you wanted for a moment, but quickly made up your mind.

"No, there isn't a reason for you to leave," you paused briefly, inhaling before continuing, "It kind of involves you too."

Ichigo and Rukia looked at each other in surprise, wondering what on earth you had to say.

"Oh?" Rukia lifted herself from her lethargic position, seeming inquisitive. She watched your shoulders slump a little, as you traced the floorboards of the bedroom with your eyes.

"Well, I…" you began, unsure of where to start, "I guess, I noticed it gradually." you glanced towards Ichigo; not knowing quite how to put it into words.

"Noticed what?" He said, acting dumbfounded and avoiding eye contact with you as much as he could.

"At first, I thought it was just me, when Rukia suddenly transferred to the school in the middle of the semester. You started to avoid me." Rukia eyed Ichigo nervously, hoping that you had not gotten the wrong idea, "But then I saw you and Tatsuki were drifting. And not only with you. Orihime too."

"Hey, it wasn't intentional. I've just been busy. You should understand that more than anyone." Ichigo defended himself. You understood what he was getting at, being a Miko really cut into your social time. You were busy quite often, since after school you would have to regularly work as a Shrine Maiden for the Shinto. Your grandfather had such little help as it was.

"That's not really it, Ichigo. I know what you are." You closed your eyes, hoping he wouldn't react badly or get angry.

Ichigo stumbled backwards apprehensively. Not sure what to expect with what you said. You opened your eyes and bore into his, "You're a Shinigami... aren't you?"

In response he closed his mouth in a clumsy motion, his eyebrows stretching towards his hairline as he turned to look at Rukia in surprise, "W-wh-what? You can't be serious. What kind of silly thing is that? A Shinigami... Sounds like something from an Anime or something. Maybe you're watching too much TV!" He laughed nervously, trying to cover up the truth. You could see the growing discomfort all over Ichigo's face.

"I've seen you and Rukia, both. I-I won't tell anyone." You tried to calm the rising tension, "I understand why you're distancing yourself. But I worry about you… I want to help."

"So, what can you do to help? You're only a human." Rukia blatantly stated, in a strict tone. You felt a twinge of hurt in your heart. Though, what Rukia said was probably true. The ability to see them was not enough to defeat them.

Ichigo's arm's flailed madly as the words left Rukia's mouth, "Rukia! What are you talking about?"

She scoffed, "Ichigo, drop the act. She already knew, clearly. She's seen us, what else could we do to prevent her from knowing? I could use the memory modifier but she would just see us again."

"We could be more careful! Yeah, that's it! You can replace her memory, and she can forget all about this. So we will just be more careful to keep her from seeing us next time!" Ichigo attempted to think of a solution. You dropped your head towards your feet: sadness filled you knowing that he could not just accept that you had known about him.

"I've seen… the monsters too…"

"And she will keep seeing them. She has an exceptional Reiatsu for a human. They will probably target her." Rukia crossed her arms, and returning to her leaning position against Ichigo's closet. You were surprised that Rukia had seemed to take your side, more than Ichigo's, especially since you had barely known each other; and at times, you had been jealous of her. Ichigo scratched the back of his neck, awkwardly; his expression was painted in a way that obviously showed he was not in favour of what Rukia had suggested.

"Ichi…" You started, in a small voice, "We were best friends… You used to be able to tell me everything."

Ichigo remained silent; things were different between you now. You had grown up, and your lives had taken different paths. It's not like Ichigo had planned on becoming a Shinigami; far from it, in fact. He only became one to save his family.

You walked up towards him, bringing your body only a few inches apart from his. To your dismay, you literally had to tilt your head back to look up at his face as if you were a child speaking to an adult. He was no longer the little boy you had grown up with; Ichigo was becoming a man.

"Listen to me, Ichigo. I know about you, and Rukia. I know about the monsters. I've seen you kill them. I've seen you with ghosts." You aspirated.

You ranted, without really knowing what you wanted to say. On the other hand, what you wanted him to say. Maybe this was all just a waste of your time. Maybe you should not have come at all.

Ichigo rested his hands on your shoulders, which were beginning to slump severely in depression, "_, Listen. I'm sorry. Really, I am. But this is something I have to do."

You broke your gaze from him as the last syllable left his mouth. Staring towards your feet, you told him, "… I know."

And that was it. You turned away from him, and left his room without even as much as saying good-bye or making eye contact with him. Ichigo stood in shock for a moment, looking towards Rukia, who didn't bother to look him in the face.

"Just let her go." She told him, "its better this way. She understands that she can't help you, and won't try to get involved."

Ichigo sighed, collapsing down onto his bed, "I know, but…"

"I'm sorry, but that's just the way it has to be. You don't want her to get hurt do you?"

He turned onto his side, knowing what she said was true, "You're right..."

* * *

You virtually stomped away towards your home at the Shinto Shrine. You were upset, you were humiliated; you wanted to cry, but forced yourself to keep the tears inside or at least until you had gotten home.

Regardless of everything, you still felt bad for leaving the Kurosaki's without properly saying goodbye to the remainder of the family. You really missed them, and the times you had together when everyone was still young. It was getting harder and harder to accept that those days were now over. Now that Ichigo was a Shinigami, and you were only a human leading a simple life.

You stopped dead, in the middle of the sidewalk. You bowed your head in shame, slapping your hands to your face.

_Ugh! I'm so stupid! I should have never confronted him! _You screamed mentally throughout your mind, _in the end, nothing has changed! Now he'll probably avoid me even more!_

The tears began prickling in your tear ducts, and held your breath to keep yourself from sobbing. You straightened yourself out, and took in your surroundings. You realized you were standing in front of Orihime's apartment; you hadn't been here in a very long time. You wondered if you should go talk to Orihime for support or just tell her how you feel. She would always listen, even if her advice was a little strange for the most part. At least she had meant well and actually cared. Orihime was one of your sweeter and more understanding friends. Sometimes it just helped to have someone who would listen to you, and wouldn't cast you away.

You made up your mind and began walking towards her apartment. A cold night breeze got caught in your eyes, as the wind blew your hair into your face. You pulled it back, and tucked it behind your ear. The air seemed to become strangely frigid, the closer you got to the door.

It was then you recognized what seemed to be a shadowy figure move on her rooftop. You were surprisingly quick to act, and tried not to draw attention to yourself, hoping whoever it was hadn't noticed you yet. Good thing you hadn't screamed out loud in frustration, earlier-even though you really wanted to. You sneaked to the side of the building, keeping your body within close proximity to the wall, to where there was a place you could lift yourself up. Quietly, you reached for the pipe that stuck out from the building and began to climb to the top to surprise the intruder. Normally you were not so brave, but the silhouette looked somewhat… small.

Upon reaching the highest point of which you could completely conceal yourself, you peeked over inconspicuously to see a young looking boy, with silver hair. He was wearing your school's uniform, but you had not recognized him. The intruder was completely oblivious, minding his own business and staring towards the stars. Still, you thought it was kind of odd; maybe he was some kind of pervert, spying on Orihime. You could definitely see why Orihime would be a prime target for that sort of peeping.

You held your breath, and moved slowly and cautiously as you made your way to the point of no return, all the while keeping your balance; being careful not to make any noise so you wouldn't be noticed. Putting all your courage into it, you spontaneously leaped at the boy. You collided into him, and grabbed a hold of his arms. Unfortunately, you both fell back onto the ceiling creating a loud THUD noise, which would attract Orihime's attention. You awkwardly pinned him down, which didn't sit too well with the trespasser.

"What are you doing?" The boy shouted at you in irritation. A vein on his forehead becoming instinctively more prominent as his anger grew.

"I could ask you the same, pervert!" You retorted, poking him in the chest with an accusing finger.

"What? You are the one who incoherently pounced at me! And you can't talk while sitting on top of me. You're the pervert!" He wiggled slightly under you for emphasis.

You hadn't realized the position you were in, you only thought of how you could securely keep him held down so he wouldn't run away. Your face went ten different shades of red in embarrassment. You both heard the eerie creak as the front door swung open, which only made your cheeks burn more fiercely. You wouldn't want Orihime to find you in such an inarticulate disposition.

"Taicho~! Are you okay?" A voice called out, which was clearly not Orihime's. Had you gotten the wrong house?

"I heard a thud. Did you fall down?" The voice seemed to be struggling to muffle a demeaning laugh.

"Yes, I'm fine." He grumbled, pushing you off him, "But there's a crazy pervert up here who randomly attacked me."

"A pervert?~" She said in a singsong voice. She seemed a bit too happy to hear about that, although you were certainly not a pervert.

The boy stood up, brushing his clothes off with his palms. He looked towards you with a scowl, and then stuffed his hands tightly into his pockets, hastily jumping down from the roof to the porch below him. All the while managing to complete that feat while his hands were unavailable to him, not seeming to worry if precarious circumstances caused him to stumble or trip.

Another pair of footsteps could be heard rushing out of the house.

"Toushirou-kun, what happened?"

That was Orihime's voice!

"Orihime!" You shouted, "It's me, _!"

"_-san? Where are you?" Orihime looked back and forth, not able to find where you were hiding, "Are you playing tricks on me?" She began whining.

You poked your head from above and began waving furiously, "I'm right here!"

Orihime gazed up towards you, smiling brightly, "_-san!" She waved back ecstatically, "What are you doing up there?"

Toushirou scoffed, "She attacked me. I have no idea why."

Steam rhetorically came out your ears, "I thought you were peeping on Orihime! How was I supposed to know that some creep sitting on her house was her friend! It looked suspicious to me!"

The busty strawberry blonde standing with Orihime giggled, "Aww, poor Taicho! She thinks you're a little pervert!"

"Shut up, Matsumoto!" He growled. You thought he seemed to be a very grumpy person, or maybe you just really hurt his feelings.

You climbed over the roof, letting your legs dangle a bit from the edge. You ungracefully jumped down, stumbling forward a bit before catching yourself. You were in no comparison of skill with the white haired boy.

You looked towards the three, realizing that the one they called Toushirou was actually a little bit on the short side. You were almost a head taller than he was; you smirked coyly as you looked down at him.

"What are you staring at?" He barked as he realized you were looking down upon him.

Your eyes widened realizing you had been caught staring, "N-nothing! I just wanted to apologize for what happened! I didn't mean to offend you."

"Hn."

"Be nice, Taicho! She's trying to say sorry to you!" Matsumoto patted his shock of hair. He shot a glare towards her that made her pull her hand away from him, quickly.

"Tch, Fine... Don't worry about it." He said crossing his arms, with the same scowl marked across his face.

You were surprised. You didn't think he would actually accept your apology, especially with the attitude he was giving off.

"_-san!" Orihime grabbed you into a hug with one arm. Your eyes saddened upon seeing the gauze cast wrapped around your friends left arm, as well as the bandages around her forehead. It seemed Ichigo wasn't the only one getting hurt from this whole Shinigami business.

"What happened to you, Orihime?"

"Huh? Oh, this? I fell down the stairs, haha. I'm so clumsy sometimes!" She rubbed the back of her neck with her good hand.

You pretended to buy it, since Orihime had guests, otherwise you would give her an earful as you knew she had actually gotten hurt from fighting the monsters, "Oh... Well, you really need to be more careful! You'll make me worry."

"Don't worry! I know I'm a klutz but I recover pretty well." She attempted to assure you, "Let's all go inside! I haven't seen you for awhile so we can catch up! I missed you!"

If only Ichigo would have said that when he saw you, instead of pushing you away. You mentally sighed behind the smile you forced for Orihime.

"I missed you too, Orihime."

* * *

**And there we have chapter 1. I know something will spawn some questions, so I will just answer it now. There's a reason Hitsugaya was pounced so easily, and it will be explained later in the story. ;) Don't worry, I didn't forget about his Reiatsu sensing abilities and whatnot.**

**Hope I successfully managed to capture everyone's character.**


	2. CHP 2: Hitsugaya's Spilt Personality

**Don't you just love it when your writing or drawing program crashes and you lose all your work? And when you retype/redraw/whatever it never seems to be as good as the first time? Bah! Stupid computer crashed on me... Oh well. You think it would be better the second time around because you already have the same basic idea and you can add more detail and what not, but noooo!**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy the second installment!**

* * *

You and the two other girls sat around the small table in the middle of the room, while Toushirou leaned his back against the front door.

You had learned their names to be Hitsugaya Toushirou, and Matsumoto Rangiku. Orihime had introduced them when everyone got inside and made themselves comfortable. She had said they were friends of hers from out of town, and that they had decided to move here for the rest of the semester. They would be staying with her until it ended.

You kept subtly glancing towards Toushirou, who seemed to be completely ignoring the conversation. Despite your and Rangiku's numerous attempts to try to include him.

His arms were crossed, and he stared towards the window, uncaring. His nose was crinkled up, his lips were pursed, and his eyes seemed dull and lifeless. Hitsugaya had no reason to listen to pointless banter. He didn't care for it.

You felt awful. Had you really upset him so much?

_He must be really sensitive about his height..._

"So... Toushirou-kun, and Rangiku-san, you'll be going to Karakura High School?" You once again tried to encourage him to join in on the discussion, so that he wouldn't feel left out.

No one said anything for a minute.

"Yup, that's the plan!" Rangiku chimed in, since the white haired boy decided to stay quiet.

You had hoped Toushirou would be the one to answer, but he didn't even bother to look over at you when you addressed his name.

"Well, I guess I could kind of tell, since Toushirou _is_wearing our school's uniform." You said as if you were embarrassed, "Rangiku, you look a little older than a High School student, though... You're kind of, uhm. Well-endowed?" You looked down at Rangiku's chest, which was an easy rival with Orihime's – if not bigger, than Orihime's.

Rangiku groaned, "Ooh, you have no idea how much these things get in the way! And they're so heavy!" She motioned her hands around them, showing off their copious size.

"Oh, I know what you mean! Sometimes I get back aches!" Orihime added, pressing her hands against her back causing her to push her chest out further.

You looked down at yourself, and sighed, "Well, I wouldn't really know," you said shyly. You didn't really want to compare your bust to theirs.

"Tch, and you say I'm a pervert. Here you are talking about and comparing your..." Toushirou mumbled, not wanting to finish his sentence. The very thought of the word that dared to jump off the tip of his tongue was enough to heat his cheeks.

Your face snapped towards him, "I'm not a pervert! I'm sure you're no innocent little boy, just because you look like one!"

"Did you just call me a little boy?" He snapped back.

"Well, it's not my fault you're a tad on the _short_side." You scoffed, putting a minor emphasis on the word 'Short'.

Orihime and Rangiku looked at each other, worried about you after making all of those comments. They both knew that no one should say anything about Toushirou's height, even though it was true. The two of you didn't seem to be getting along so well.

A vein swelled up on his forehead, "I'm NOT short!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot the correct term is vertically challenged." You stuck your tongue out at him, childishly.

"You're barely taller than me; you have no room to talk. At least I'm not a creepy, flat-chested pervert girl who talks about her chest to strangers." He told you this with a very demeaning tone, and a sly smirk.

You bit her bottom lip; your feelings were a little hurt by what he said. You resisted the urge to talk back to him or show that what he said had upset you.

"Hey! Want some ice cream?" Orihime suggested energetically, trying to relieve the tension.

"Ooh! That sounds good!" Rangiku squealed in delight, clapping her hands together, while Orihime ran to the kitchen to dish out the dessert. Toushirou and you paid no attention to Orihime as invisible bolts of lightning cracked and fought in between the two of you.

Toushirou grunted, "I'm going back outside." He left without another word, slamming the door behind him.

"What IS his problem?" You grumbled to yourself, directing the question towards no one in particular.

"He's a little sensitive about his height..." Rangiku told you as she leaned her elbows onto the table.

"A little? He sure acted like a jerk; I think he's a bit more than a little sensitive about it." You put your head down, resting it on your arms.

Rangiku smiled, "I guess you're right, but it is kind of funny to see someone stand up to Taicho, though."

"I don't see a reason to be scared of him."

"Haha, that's because you don't know how strong he really is." She giggled to herself.

You tried to calm down a bit, and rationalize your thoughts. Once again, you had picked a fight with him, and felt bad for saying the things you did. He did egg you on though, so it's not like it was entirely your fault. But at least you had gotten him to talk.

"Why do you call him Taicho, anyways?" You lifted your head back up and asked.

"Oh, uhm... It's just a silly nickname I gave him a long time ago." Rangiku seemed to take a few minutes before answering the question.

Orihime came back into the room, carrying a tray with four bowls of ice cream on it, "Here! Cookies and cream!" She began placing the bowls onto the table.

Matsumoto looked at it oddly as if it were foreign, but quickly got a spoonful. Her eyes light up with stars, "It's so good!"

Orihime placed a bowl in front of you, "Here, _-san. I got this one for you... Oh, where did Toushirou-kun go?"

"Taicho went outside; I think he wanted to cool off." Rangiku spoke, licking the ice cream off her spoon.

You looked at your lap, regretting the rude words you had said, "I'm sorry, Orihime, but I think I'm going to pass on the ice cream. I think I should go apologize to Toushirou-kun. Maybe after, okay?"

"Don't worry about him, he's always like this!" Rangiku told you in between mouthfuls.

"Well, I feel bad. I'll only be a few minutes."

"It's okay, _-san. Just don't let your ice cream melt away! It's too good to pass up!" Orihime pointed towards the remaining bowl, "And don't forget to tell Toushirou-kun there's some for him too." She smiled.

You looked towards the ice cream; it was covered in chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, and with bits of wafers and cinnamon sticks buried deep into the cream. There were also several types of sprinkles, and powdered sugar. All which were topped on Cookies and Cream flavoured ice cream; a diabetic coma waiting to happen.

"Mm, yeah okay..." You sweat dropped. You had forgotten about Orihime's habits with food.

When you got outside, you could hear the two other girls giggling and talking about how delicious the ice cream was. You wondered how both of them managed to stay so skinny eating such fattening food, coming to the conclusion that it all went to their boobs.

"Toushirou-kun, are you up there?" You placed a hand beside your mouth to amplify your voice as you shouted up towards the roof.

You heard a grunt as a response. You figured he was still angry about what had happened. Once again you made your way to the side of the building to climb up top. This time you weren't so careful about it, as you didn't need to sneak up on anybody.

He was sitting down in basically the same position you had seen him in the first time.

"You're not going to attack me again, are you?" He asked, dryly.

You laughed sarcastically at his remark, "No, not this time. Don't worry."

"Hn."

You sat down on the concrete roof, far away from him, and stared down towards your feet. He didn't take notice, or look towards you as you did this.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I let my temper get the best of me." You played with your hair nervously; not wanting to come off as a bad person. You had already made a horrible first impression. He didn't say anything in response about it.

"I don't normally say things like that; please don't think I'm a bad person. I didn't really mean it, your height is fine!" You hoped he would return the apology, but he stayed quiet, only intently staring towards the stars. You looked upwards to the heavens, to see what had caught his interest.

The moon was a perfect crescent, and the stars twinkled brightly in unison. You smiled; it had been a long time since you had taken the time to appreciate the beauty of the night sky. The last time you had done so, was with Ichigo and his family. It was during the Summer Fireworks Festival, a few years back. One of the last days you and him had really spent together. Meaningless memories of times long past continued to flow over you.

Toushirou finally let up his tough guy act, and looked over towards you. He would never admit it, but he felt a little bad for what he had said, as well. Though it made him remember how he used to tease Hinamori, when they were younger. He kind of missed his childhood, even though he hated thinking about being a 'child'. He, Momo, and his grandmother used to live happily in Rukongai together. His life was much different now. He was always so busy, and never got to spend time with Hinamori anymore.

He missed her.

Remembering the meaningless memories of how they used to get along made him crack a small smile. You saw it in your peripheral vision; he probably thought you were paying no attention to him.

"What are you smiling about? You think of something else to tease me about?" You asked, not breaking your gaze on the moon.

He was caught off guard a little, "No. I was just remembering something."

"I see... What about?" You asked, honestly curious.

"I was thinking about a friend of mine back home. Not that it's really any of your business."

You chuckled slightly, but he couldn't place why. He decided to stay quiet and not ask questions. Questions only led to more conversation and he was not really in the mood to make small talk.

You remembered what Keigo had told you earlier about Ichigo being spotted with a group of strange looking people. Now that you thought about it, he did mention a busty blonde and short silver haired midget; maybe they were the ones with Ichigo.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did." He sighed, "Just because you ask, doesn't mean I'm going to answer you, though. What is it?"

You pouted slightly, realizing that it was silly to ask if you could ask a question, but instead chose to ignore his comment, "Do you know Kurosaki Ichigo?"

He was actually expecting the question to be about his hair colour, or his height, or something else involving how he acted earlier. He was a little surprised, but answered truthfully, "Yeah, we know each other. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, really. A classmate of mine told me he saw you and some of your friends with him earlier, I guess."

"Is that so..."

"I don't know, he's been very distant with me. We used to be best friends. Well, we grew up together anyways. I'm worried about him." You hugged your knees into your chest. Not letting Toushirou see the disappointed look on your face.

"Maybe he's got something going on in his life right now that he doesn't want you to get involved with. Maybe he's trying to protect you."

"I know exactly what it is; I just wish there was something I could do to help him with it."

Hitsugaya wondered if you had known he was a Shinigami, or if you thought there was something else on his mind, "It will pass. Don't think about it too much."

"Easier said than done." You breathed out, "If only you knew the half of it."

He stared down towards his feet, his thoughts drifting towards Hinamori again. He remembered how he felt when she had first entered the academy. He was so mad at her for leaving him behind, and he worried about her facing Hollows after she graduated. Lucky for him, he was able to catch up just as quickly and graduate.

"So what about your friend back home? You worried about her now that you're no longer around to protect her?"

"Sometimes." He stopped, "I never said it was a girl, by the way."

"Sorry, I just assumed."

Hitsugaya shrugged, "Nothing to be sorry about."

You glanced towards him, and smiled kind-heartedly in his direction. Your smile caught his attention, and his gaze drifted over towards you. His usual scowl still painted on his face.

"What are yo-" his voice cut off, and his expression drastically changed. The hair on the back of his neck seemed to stand on end as his eyes grew wide.

"What's wrong, Toushirou-kun?" You asked, surprised by his sudden change and abruptly cut off sentence.

Seemingly out of nowhere you got a throbbing headache; it felt as though someone was stabbing you. You clutched your head with your left hand, your vision began to blur from the intense pain. The air around you felt as if it were pushing you down. It was so heavy. You tried to hold yourself up by countering the feeling, pushing yourself away from the ground.

It was no use. Your elbow joint gave out and you collapsed from the heavy pressure.

As your face came colliding into contact with the ground, more pain shot through you. You could feel something wet and warm beginning to escape and trickle down from your forehead.

Was it ... Blood?

You attempted to wipe it off, but your arms wouldn't obey you. They wouldn't move. Your entire body was in a state of paralysis and pinned down towards the ground by an unknown force.

Your eyelids sagged, threatening to close. You fought desperately to keep them open. You couldn't understand what was making you feel so weak and dizzy.

You could have sworn you saw two Hitsugaya's before your eyelids eventually won the battle. You were enveloped in darkness; complete and utter darkness.

"Hide yourself!" You heard Hitsugaya command, "Take the girl with you!"

You felt your body get scooped up. The feeling of floating overwhelmed you with your paralysed limbs dangling and flapping around as if they had a mind of their own.

In your delirium you realized someone was carrying you. Whoever it was, they were running.

_What are we running from? _

You wanted to know but the heaviness wouldn't allow you to move.

Finally you could breathe again, the weight had lifted. You struggled to open your eyes only to be greeted with something rather unusual. Slowly it came into vision. Your head was pressed up against a cotton fabric with your blood staining it. You looked up to see the face of your apparent 'saviour' from god only knows what. You weren't quite expecting what you saw.

Toushirou was holding you in his arms, bridal style.

All of your strength miraculously returned to you, as you jumped in his arms, "What the HELL are you doing?"

Toushirou blinked, and looked down at you, as he was carrying you, flashing the brightest smiled you had ever seen, "Oh, hello! Good morning!" He spouted, sweetness dripping off his words.

Your eyes went wide. _Is this the same Hitsugaya as before?_

"Put me down!" You wiggled in his grasp.

"I'm sorry, but I can't." He told you, a slight sadness written on his face, "We've got to find someplace to hide."

"Hide from what?" Once again you struggled against him, "What's going on?"

He rolled his eyes towards his forehead and stuck his lips out. He appeared to be thinking, "Uhm... I'm sorry but I can't tell you!"

"What? Why not? Just put me down!"

"I already told you I can't. Taicho's orders!" His smile beaming, as if he were a child.

Hitsugaya's came to a screeching halt into a small, dirty alley that was littered with trash. Dirt picking up off the ground from the sudden stop, creating a little dust cloud. He looked around the area, breaking into another large toothy grin when his sights set on something he could use as 'protection', "Here! We can hide in this!"

You followed his gaze to what he had seemed so proud to find.

There it was: two metal bins, placed neatly side by side; shining in the moonlight, as if it were set up just for this moment.

"A garbage bin?" You squealed, a vein popping up on your forehead. The adrenaline rush causing your heart to pound furiously with anger. Only making your head wound bleed more profusely and drip down past your eyebrow.

"It's perfect!"

**BAM**

You had slammed your angry fist right into his face. Hitsugaya's head flung back. He stumbled, losing his grip and dropping you. You came plummeting down to the grubby cement with a thud, bruising your bottom.

"Wh-what was that for?" He whined, holding his sore cheek in his hand. Little beads poking out his tear ducts.

"I am NOT hiding in a trash can! Especially since I don't even know what I am hiding from!" You stood up and rubbed your butt, "I'm going back to Orihime's house."

"N-No! You can't go back there, it's dangerous!" He waved his arms around while explaining this, "And I'll get in trouble! Just wait, please!"

You placed your hands on your hips, and stared at him with a look of disgust, "You'll get in trouble? By who?"

Hitsugaya grabbed his head, squeezing his eyes shut and baring his teeth, "T-T-Taicho..." He stuttered.

You blinked.

_What the hell? Isn't that was Rangiku-san called him?_

"Are you... insane or something?"

"No! Please, you have to believe me! We have a 97% chance of being safe here!" He sniffled.

Hitsugaya grabbed you by the arms, dragging you over to the trash can. He lifted the lid off, giving you full view of the garbage and flies buzzing around inside it, "Come on, and get in!"

"I already told you I won't..."

* * *

"Gentei Kaijo!"

Three enormous amounts of Reiatsu went plummeting towards the heavens, soaking the earth and sky with its spiritual energy. The three areas where the energy gathered was temporarily illuminated as it absorbed the bodies of the Shinigami that were desperately fighting.

"It's over, Shawlong Qufang." Hitsugaya took his Zanpakutou in both hands, gently gliding it through the air, "Ryuusenka."

A lanky man was standing in the air, a safe distant away from Toushirou. His eyes widened in shock as he was able to sense the amount of Spiritual pressure the young Captain was releasing.

"Retreat! Retreat for now!" He screamed out to his comrades, quickly attempting to fly away in an escape.

"You're not getting away..."

Hitsugaya manipulated his wings made of pure ice to break into flight. Swooping towards the one he called Shawlong with quadruple the speed.

He was no match for the Captain class Shinigami.

Shawlong's face crumbled in fear, he knew he did not have the speed or the stamina to dodge the attack. Toushirou's Zanpakutou pierced his flesh. His body became completely concealed in the thick ice before his blood was even able to gush violently out of the wound.

He was already dead.

The ginormous glass-like coffin shattered, breaking his body into little pieces; until eventually nothing remained.

Only small shards of ice that glittered as it fell to the earth.

Hitsugaya tried to stabilize himself after the battle, and catch his balance. His Reiatsu no longer able to hold back his blood from pouring out of the wounds all over his body.

The last petal on the giant ice Lotus behind him burst apart.

Toushirou's wings broke down and eroded, crumbling around him. His blood burst out of every open wound as his body tumbled out of the sky and went crashing down to the roof of an apartment complex that was nearby.

Rangiku watched as her Captain had fallen. She ran to the side of the building searching for Orihime on the ground level with her Gigai.

"Orihime!" Matsumoto desperately called, "Orihime! Come here! Please!"

* * *

**I hope everyone was able to tell that Hitsugaya left you with his Gigai. xD If not, now you know! Thanks for reading!**


	3. CHP 3: Ichigo's disappearance

**Thanks to _ToushirouxHitsugayaxFangirl_ for the review! Hope everyone enjoys the next installment of Believe!**

**Also, I wanted to say sorry for the absence... Lots going on in my life, my grandma is going through a rough time, so my inspiration has kinda been close to none... I'd appreciate it if you prayed for her! Thank you!**

* * *

You returned to school the next day. You slumped over in your desk, resting your hand in your chin, remembering the bizarre events from last night.

After you had finally convinced Hitsugaya that you WERE NOT, under any circumstances, going to hide in a trash bin from whatever the heck he was afraid of, you told him you were definitely going to leave and go back home...

-Flashback-

_Hitsugaya grabbed you by the arms, dragging you over to the trash can. He lifted the lid off, giving you full view of the garbage and flies buzzing around inside it, "Come on, and get in!"_

_"I already told you I won't..." You sighed, wiggling free of his grip._

_"P-please!" He grabbed your hand again, grasping it tightly, and stared at you with pleading eyes, "Look, it's totally alright! I will go first! Just watch."_

_Oh you watched, alright. You watched in disgust as Toushirou carefully lifted himself into one of the trash bins, and made himself comfortable within the garbage. There were strange squishing sounds and rustling as he sat down in the litter. He grabbed the lid, placing it on top of his head, and ducked down so only his eyes were visible to you, "See! Now you would never know I was in here!"_

_You shuddered, thinking of all the gross things that he currently standing in. Or worse, what he wanted you to be standing in, "And why do we need to hide anyways?" You asked, yet again, unconvinced that you really needed to hide in the trash._

_He poked his head back out of the trash can, and smiled timidly at you, "Because I was ordered to protect you!..."_

_"That's not what I'm asking!" You put your weight on the top of the lid, pushing it down on top of him. Successfully trapping Toushirou inside the can, "I'm going home! This is stupid!"_

_"No, you can't!" His muffled voice could be heard while hitting at the side of the can, trying to get out, "I told you, it's dangerous! You'll get hurt!"_

_"Bye bye, Toushirou-kun~" You said in a sweet, sarcastic rhythm, smiling mischievously. As soon as you released your hold on the lid, you booked it, dashing off towards to the Shinto and away from the crazy nutcase._

_Hitsugaya threw the lid off and hastily stumbled out of the can as fast as he could, "Wait! Please! I'll get in trouble! Don't run away!"_

_You hoped your lungs wouldn't fail you as you turned into another alleyway, trying desperately to lose him. Who knew Orihime had such weird friends?_

"Kurosaki's absent?"

The teachers' voice made you snap back to the present, especially because of what was said. You glanced from the corner of your eye, to Ichigo's desk. It was empty. The chair neatly tucked close to the desk; unused.

"That's unusual. He skips class but he's rarely absent." The teacher scribbled something onto her notepad, probably marking Ichigo down as 'absent', with a surprised guise plastered to her face. You sighed deeply.

"Ishida and Sado are absent, too. And Kuchiki? What's going on?"

You could not help notice the pained face of Orihime, as the teacher spoke. Something was going on, probably something with the whole Shinigami deal.

_Ichigo... Ichigo isn't hurt is he?_

You began to worry, staring off towards the classroom window, searching frantically to see any of the absentees loitering around the school yard; or running in, late to class.

_Orihime... Please help me understand what's going on..._You mentally begged.

You placed your eyes firmly on Orihime, full of worry, and hurt. She seemed to pick up on the energy you were sending, because she looked right towards you. Her eyes were seeping with worry and several other emotions that you could not quite place.

Her bottom lip dropped down, as she noticed the hurt written all over your face. But it quickly formed into a forced smile. One telling you 'Don't worry, everything is okay!' but you knew that it was just a lie. You knew Orihime well enough to know she would always try to keep everyone happy and from worrying or being sad.

"Alright! Let's start class!" The teacher slammed down a textbook, and began her lecture.

Orihime's fists clenched tightly, and she turned to face the front of the class. You mocked her movements, but your mind was pounding. At least Orihime was involved in Ichigo's life; she knew at the very least SOMEWHAT what was going on with him. You could only imagine the types of things that happened when they were in battle, or at all. Sure, you had seen the gist of it, but that didn't mean that it had made sense. You tried to explain it to yourself, but it was just all so complicated to you.

Swords, magic, gigantic monsters that no one except a select few, could see... Yeah, it just really did not make sense. You just knew it had something to do with Shinigami, souls, and death; pretty dark stuff.

One thing you knew for sure - Orihime is more understanding than Ichigo, maybe she could help you to understand everything. Maybe she knows where Ichigo is, or if he is hurt. She would surely tell you everything you needed to know about. She couldn't hide that from someone she cared about.

You continued to slump in your chair, staring blankly at the textbook before you. Barely paying attention to the teacher as she lectured about whatever assignment you were supposed to be doing. How could you focus on school when so much was going on in your life? Your brain just couldn't register anything else at that moment.

You tried hard to push the thoughts out of your mind, and began to pay attention to your schoolwork. You knew you were probably already failing as it was...

* * *

After school had ended you were still slumped in your chair, tapping your pencil onto the paper of your homework. The classroom was empty now, and only you remained. You absentmindedly scribbled an answer onto the paper, while gazing out the classroom window.

You were supposed to be home a half hour ago, to help your Grandfather with the chores. You felt bad, but your mind was not really there, you instead kept wondering where Ichigo was. You would just have to make up some excuse to keep yourself from getting in too much trouble.

The classroom door creaked open, quietly, immediately causing you to perk up, "Ichigo?" you asked out loud, hoping it was him, somehow unbelievably, ridiculously late for class or... something; anything.

It was not him, instead you saw Rukia standing in the doorway, leaning her head against the door frame.

You stood up from your desk, a little worried because of her presence, since she was also apparently absent today, "Rukia? What's wrong?" Panic started to climb up through your body as you realized the look on her face.

She forced a smile for you, "It's nothing. I just thought you were someone else. Sorry to bother you." She waved listlessly, and turned to leave.

"Could that someone... be Ichigo?" You asked, inaudibly, dropping your gaze to the tiled floor. Rukia stopped, and turned around to face you again, "I know I'm only human, but that doesn't mean that I'm stupid." You could feel the disparity she felt for you.

"I'm sorry; it wasn't my intention to make you think that way," Rukia murmured to you, linking her left hand around her right arm, "It's just irresponsible of me to involve you in these sorts of matters."

"Matters? He's my friend too, don't I deserve to know what's going on?" you dramatically raised your voice; you knew you were already involved long before Rukia. You have known Ichigo almost as long as Tatsuki has. Even she doesn't know what's going on or so you thought, at that time. "Rukia, please... Please tell me what's going on. I deserve to know as much as you do."

Rukia avoided looking at you, her facial features very stiff and depressed looking.

"He's not hurt is he? Or worse... he's not... dead, is he?" You trembled at the thought, your knees starting to crumble for the weight those words carried.

Rukia only shook her head, which at first calmed you, until she spoke, "I don't know. I don't know where he is."

"What do you mean you don't know where he is? I thought you were always with him! Haven't you two been inseparable since he became a Shinigami?" Your voice shook, speaking in a rude manner towards Rukia, "don't tell me you don't know where he is!"

She pursed her lips, "I can't feel his Reiatsu. I'm looking for him, but I can't find him."

"Reiatsu...?"

She shook her head, "Never mind, it's hard to explain. I just can't sense his presence anywhere." Rukia fumbled her hands together negligently, "I'm sorry I can't be of more help. I never meant to get you involved."

"I'm already involved. Long before you ever came here, Rukia. I've been involved. So don't blame yourself, it isn't you."

You both seemed to sigh in unison. Obviously both of you were ridden with incomprehensible worry.

"Rukia... How did Ichigo become a Shinigami, anyways? It doesn't make sense to me." you said this much more guttural than intended.

"It was my fault. That's why I have to make amends with him... He became a Shinigami because I wasn't strong enough to protect his family and kill the Hollow that was attacking him. I got him involved. I am to blame for everything." She spoke as if she was culpable for Ichigo.

You blinked realizing you did not understand anything, "I don't know what to make of that. I don't understand what you mean."

You began to think that Shinigami's were somewhat related to Vampires. Or at least like them. Like, a Shinigami had to bite another Shinigami to turn them into one like themselves. You shook your head; it was probably nothing like that at all. But it was the only thing your feeble Human mind could conjure up on the spot.

"It's better that you don't. It's better if you don't get involved. I don't need to be responsible for ruining anymore lives." She placed her hand against her heart, gripping the sweater of her uniform. You could see she was trembling ever so slightly.

You walked up towards Rukia, and made sure to look her straight in the eye, being sincere as possible, "you didn't do anything. Ichigo would never do anything unless he really wanted to. You didn't force him into anything, okay? Don't blame yourself. It is no one's fault."

Rukia's eyes were wide, but then they softened and she smiled, "Thank you, _. I always felt that you blamed me..." She began to leave once again to continue her search, but then looked over her shoulder, "I'll let you know if I find him... Please do the same for me, if you do."

You nodded in agreement, "Of course, Rukia."

After gathering your belongings, you followed Rukia and left the school, heading for home.

You stared at the ground as you walked along the sidewalk towards the Shinto; the wind blew a small piece of litter past your feet.

_Ichigo, where are you?_

You couldn't get your mind of the fact he was missing, the pained look on Orihime's face, and the conversation you had with Rukia. It seemed you were becoming more and more involved in this Shinigami mess, but you still really didn't know anything. If only there was someone who could be more informative about everything; someone who would be willing to answer your questions.

You muttered harsh words to the sky, in an attempt to release some of the anger that was lamenting up inside you.

"Why can't you tell me anything?" you cried, swinging your book bag around like a madman. Luckily no one was around to see your random bout of anger.

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity, you know."

Spoke too soon.

You jumped, and whirled around to see where the voice had come from. You shuddered when your eyes landed on the one person you really didn't want to see right now.

Toushirou was standing by a bench with some strange looking companions sitting on it. The several that matched the description that Keigo had given you previously, but not including Matsumoto. Honestly, they kind of scared you a little. Well, the pretty boy not so much, but the tattoo guy and the bald dude looked a little intimidating.

"Oh it's only you..." You sighed out in relief, "Wait a minute! You're the crazy one!" You pointed at him accusingly and Toushirou seemed a bit taken aback by this. You stomped up to him and began to poke him in the chest, paying no mind to the others around you, "you were so rude to me yesterday! And weird! What kind of prank do you think you were trying to pull?"

"Prank? I don't know what you mean." He retorted, calmly.

"Don't play dumb! You were trying to force me into a trash can!"

The other three boys exchanged glances with each other, and then gawked towards Hitsugaya. His face paled, and a look of disgust shot across his face, "Absurd! I didn't do that!"

"Look, I'm sorry for punching you in the face, and trapping you in the trash can, but what you were trying to get me to do was ABSURD!" You crossed your arms after you finished counting the weird occurrences that happened with him on your fingers, and then glared at him. The three boys tried to keep themselves from bursting out in laughter.

"P-punching me?" He stuttered, a look of complete shock donned on his face, "No such thing occurred."

"It would seem that Hitsugaya Taicho got beat up by a girl." The pretty boy mocked, rubbing his fingers against his chin and cocking an eyebrow.

"Shut up, Ayasegawa!" Toushirou huffed, completely horrified, "that did not happen!"

The other two boys were unable to control their laughter now. The one with the tattoos was sputtering through his lips trying to keep himself from chuckling.

You pounced on Hitsugaya, and lifted up his sweater. This only made things worse for all the surrounding spectators and his friends.

"What are you doing?" He tried to push you away, "you're the crazy one, not me!"

"Aha!" You shouted, pointing at the stain of blood on his uniform's undershirt, "See! It really did happen!"

He pulled his sweater down and pushed you away from him roughly, glaring towards you, "I don't know what you're talking about.

"Who is this girl anyways, Hitsugaya Taicho?" The tattooed one asked.

Hitsugaya dusted himself off, "she's one of Orihime's friends... I have no idea who she is."

"That explains a lot." The bald boy smirked.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean, baldy!" You got up in his face, defending your friend. Hitsugaya seemed relieved that your attention span was short, and you were already off interrogating someone else.

Obviously you had struck a nerve, as a vein popped up on his forehead and he gritted his teeth, "I'm not bald!" He bellowed down at you, seeing as he was much taller.

"Who you kidding? I can see my reflection on your forehead."

He jumped up, pointing his wooden sword towards you, "Watch it, girlie."

"Calm down, Ikkaku. She's just a girl." That tattooed one put a hand on his shoulder, successfully calming him.

"Not worth my time anyways..."

The tattooed boy smiled doltishly, pushing his friend away from you.

"Excuse my ugly friends," Yumichika said as the others' faces all melted into shock, "I'm Ayasegawa Yumichika, obviously the most handsome one. This is Madarame Ikkaku and Abarai Renji... And I see you're already acquainted with Hitsugaya Taicho..."

Ikkaku merely nodded as a greeting, Renji pointed to himself, and buffed up his chest, "Nice to meet you, you can call me Renji!"

"Flirting? How shameless of you, Renji. Don't forget about Rukia." Ikkaku mentioned under his breath.

"You've got it all wrong, I'm just being friendly. This is Orihime's friend, after all." He blushed.

You introduced yourself politely, and then asked, "You know Orihime and Rukia... Does that mean...?" You trailed off before finishing your sentence.

_Wait. I can't just blatantly ask if they're Shinigami... Plus, that's pretty much impossible anyways._

"...You're going to Karakura high school?" You smiled, covering yourself up. At least you thought you covered your tracks pretty well.

Renji nodded hesitantly while Hitsugaya eyed you oddly, but you didn't notice.

"Oh, well I hope to see you there sometime," you smiled. But your smile soon faded, thinking about Shinigami reminded you about Ichigo and his recent disappearance, "Toushirou-kun... Have you seen Ichigo today?"

"Can't say that I have." He told you with his usual do-not-care tone of voice. You sighed to yourself.

"Rukia told me he's missing, and he didn't come to school today."

"Don't worry _. I'm sure he's just out causing trouble. Nothing to be worried about!" Renji said energetically.

"You're friends with Ichigo, too?"

"Friends? Uh, I guess you could call it that." He rubbed his chin.

"Then it shouldn't be too hard to get along with you all," you smiled, "but I really should be getting home, I have Miko duties to attend to!"

The four boys all seemed to cock an eyebrow in unison and look at each other, as if they didn't understand what you meant. Regardless, you bowed gracefully, "hope to see you all at school!"

"Sure, see you later." Renji waved back at you. Ikkaku and Yumichika began to walk away, and Renji followed suit.

"It was nice meeting you, _. Hitsugaya, go ahead and walk your friend home." Yumichika spoke slyly.

"W-what?" Hitsugaya barked, with his hands stuffed into his pockets, "who are you to give me orders, Ayasegawa?"

"Think of it as a favour." He chuckled to himself, and waved as he walked off.

You waved back to the others, and then turned to look at Toushirou. He was scowling and seemed to be mumbling under his breath. You felt a little awkward around him.

"You don't have to walk me home if you don't want to, you know." You told him, blinking at his reaction.

"Nah, whatever. Consider it an apology for uhm... last night," he ran his fingers through his hair cockily, and quickly tried to change the topic before anything spawned from what he said, "so where do you live?"

"Not far from Orihime's house, so don't worry... you won't be _graced_with my presence for long." You said dryly.

"Oh, too bad. Thought you'd feel _blessed_to be able to spend time with me," he smirked as the two of you began to walk in the direction of the Shrine.

"So..." You attempted to make conversation, even though you weren't very skilled at it. You had a habit of asking awkward questions, so you tried to keep it simple, "What do you think of Karakura so far?"

"It's not bad... Nice weather," he rubbed the back of his neck.

_Am I already making him feel awkward? _You mentally groaned.

"Oh, is that so? How about where you used to live, what was it like there?" You were genuinely curious since he never seemed to talk about himself.

He looked towards you briefly and then went back to concentrating on the sidewalk ahead of him, "well, it's... a beautiful place, the sky is almost always clear. But I rarely get to enjoy it since I'm always busy working."

"Working? You have a job?" You raised your eyebrows; you couldn't help but think that he seemed a little young to have a job. But it was not totally uncommon for High School students to be employed; you yourself were, in fact.

Hitsugaya pursed his lips, "Yeah, kind of."

"Tell me about it!" You asked, cheerfully. Toushirou was a lot more talkative when you had him alone, instead of in a group of people.

"Well, it's really just a lot of paperwork and some other minor duties... You really ask a lot of questions." He sighed, shaking his head. Hitsugaya was never really one for the Q&A game.

"I'm sorry; I just want to get to know you better." Darn, just when you had gotten him talking.

"You shouldn't get to know me, I won't be around long," he laughed, almost coldly.

"You're here for the whole semester. You plan on being alone the whole time you're here? Besides there's always text messaging or other ways we could keep in touch if we became friends."

"Friends? Hmm..."

_We're not really supposed to become friends with or even communicate with humans, especially those uninvolved in Seireitei matters,_ Hitsugaya thought, _but if we don't try to blend in somewhat that could also lead to problems..._

"Yeah, I guess you're right," He broke off, and quickly added, "but that doesn't mean we're friends now."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." You waved it off, rolled your eyes, and stopped walking, "well, we're here now. Thanks for taking me home, I guess."

Toushirou stopped and looked at the Torii gate in front of the stone stairs, "you live here?"

"Yup. My grandfather is the Kannushi here, and I help him as a Miko."

"Miko? What's that?" He asked curiously.

"What? You don't know what a Miko is? What kind of backwater town do you come from?" You teased, and eyed him judgmentally.

"Uhm, well I don't get out much... apparently..." He coughed, feeling stupid.

"A Miko is a Shrine Maiden. It's basically my part-time job... You should come by sometime and I'll show you what I do." You winked at him, which in turn made him bite his tongue and clam up.

"I guess I could do that."

"Well, I'll see you at school tomorrow, _Toushi-kun_." You smirked devilishly, and awaited his reaction.

"Yeah, see you later..." he dead panned, "Toushi-kun?"


	4. CHP 4: Useless

**I'm SOOOO sorry! I know this is super duper incredibly late! I had so much going on the past little while, I have not had time for ANYTHING. :( I feel really bad... So I hope that I can make it up to you by adding 2 chapters instead of just 1... Lol, enjoy everyone.**

* * *

You lay soundly in bed, breathing steadily. The night was silent; the only sound breaking it was the sound of the wind pressing against your window as it softly blew. You rolled to one side, grasping your pillow tightly as you smiled subtly, completely unaware of what was about to break the serenity of the moment.

The wall behind your headboard faded to black, creating what looked like a black hole. A long, scaled foot stepped roughly through the dark dimension. Its sharp talons wrapped around the bed post, scratching the wood, as a masked face slipped through the opening. It was mere inches from you, its saliva pouring out the sides of its mouth.

It moved closer and closer towards your sleeping face. The demons drool splattered upon your face, causing you to flutter your eyes open unwillingly. You came face to face with a monster – A Hollow. Your heart stopped as your vision cleared, and took in the sight of the horrifying monster. Terrified, you screamed.

Frantically sitting up in bed, startled you realized it was only a dream. Your breath hitched, as your body trembled. You flung yourself into your pillow.

_These nightmares are only getting worse! _You thought to yourself, thanking god that it was only a dream; _I'm so frightened by those monsters... How does Ichigo do it?_

You lifted yourself up, placing your feet onto the cold floor, searching desperately for your fuzzy slippers. You stumbled blindly to the restroom, and flicked on the lights.

You saw your reflection in the mirror; you looked slightly haggard and tired. The dreams had been keeping you from getting a good night's rest for some time now; ever since you found out everything about Ichigo and the others.

Tracing your fingers across your forehead, you began searching for the slightest trace of a scar. But there was none, the skin was as smooth as it ever was. Which clearly didn't make sense, as your blood was on Toushirou's shirt. So why did your wound disappear? Maybe you truly were losing your mind. Though, the memory of the taste of blood was still on your tongue.

No longer did you feel tired, even though you had barely slept. The images of the monster still flashed vividly in your mind, causing your heart to race and beads of sweat to spawn on your brow. Not in your best judgement in your frightened state; you decided to walk over to Orihime's house. You needed to know the truth about Ichigo.

You dressed, and grabbed a light jacket, leaving behind the Shrine, without your Grandfather ever knowing of your absence. You began briskly walking to Orihime's small apartment; your footsteps clacking against the concrete sidewalk.

The streetlights flickered ominously; you began to second guess your decision. Though her house was not far away, it probably was not the brightest idea for a young girl to take a midnight stroll, alone.

Especially considering you knew of the monsters that lurked in the night...

You picked your pace up, your stomach knotting as you remembered your nightmares. But it was not long before you reached her house. You walked up the pathway towards her door. Sighing as you realized all the lights were out. Orihime was already asleep. It was all for nothing.

"Hey."

You jumped at least 5 feet in the air, your arms flailing, "Holy crap!" You exclaimed, grabbing your chest to keep your heart from bursting out your ribcage.

After regaining composure, you looked up to the roof. The familiar roof-dwelling midget was sitting up there, head peeking out down towards you. The moonlight illuminating his lightly coloured hair, he looked a little surprised to see you.

"You scared me!" You shouted, stomping your feet in anger, and catching your breath, "How dare you!"

He scoffed, but then changed the subject, "What are you doing here at this time of night? Don't you realize it's not safe for you to be out here right now."

"I can take care of myself," you lied, crossing your arms while holding back the urge to childishly stick your tongue out at him.

"Oh, I bet you can..." He didn't sound convinced, leaning ever so slightly farther over the edge.

"What would you know... You know nothing about me!"

"No need to shout, everyone is asleep, you know." He disappeared from your view, moving away from the edge of the ceiling completely.

_Oops._

You shook your head and made your way to the side of the building, grabbing hold of the metal bars that stuck out the walls; climbing up to join him in his strange, yet interesting midnight habits.

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?"

You looked him up and down, his body lazily leaning against a piece of the ceiling. His arms crossed, staring towards the night sky, "Doing what? You're just sitting here."

"Hn."

"You're going to get terrible bags under your eyes if you don't get enough sleep, you know." You spoke to him as a mother would to her child. This only made him frustrated.

"Whatever."

A silence dropped between you two, but you did not feel awkward. He must have though, because he kept fidgeting.

The moon was not quite as beautiful tonight, clouds littered the sky. But the breeze was cool, and the fresh scent of autumn lingered throughout the air. The same feeling of nostalgia flooded you.

"Tell me about yourself, Toushirou." You asked seemingly out of nowhere.

He cocked an eyebrow and began to ponder, "There's nothing to tell. Or nothing I'd like you to know about."

"Really?" You shuffled slightly, trying to get more comfortable upon the rooftop. The cold cement prickling at your skin, "I bet there's more to you than meets the eye."

"What would it matter?" His voice seemed a bit distraught; distant, somehow, as if he were not all there.

"Wow, you sure are moody tonight!" You prodded him, and began to tease him, "you seem to have a spilt-personality, maybe you should get that checked out."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"The other day, the trash can incident... you were..." You trailed off, reaching for your forehead, remembering that there was no scar, no wound, and no blood; nothing.

"Toushirou, am I crazy?"

He finally cracked a subtle smirk, "why are you asking me that?"

"I seem to remember something that didn't actually happen... But you had blood on your shirt, so that should have proved it happened. But I don't have a wound on my forehead." You mumbled, senselessly.

"That sounds pretty crazy to me."

You glared at him, but then your expression dropped. You do seem crazy; your whole life is slowly doing a 180. Your best friend became a Shinigami, there are monsters everywhere. Now you are just losing your mind. You have crazy nightmares that you cannot seem to shake, and now you have memories of situations that never happened.

"I've been having nightmares."

"That was rather random," He sighed, "what about?"

"Wow, I'm surprised that you actually want to know."

"I don't really, I just know you were going to tell me anyways, so I figured it'd be easier to just get it done and over with." Toushirou shrugged.

Every time he spoke to you, it always seemed so demeaning. But for some reason, you enjoyed your time with him. It was fun to pick on him, you guessed. Like something you had been missing out on since you became so busy with your job; a strange form of companionship.

"It's only going to sound crazy..." You smiled softly to yourself, knowing that even though it sounded insane, those monsters truly did exist.

"That's alright; I already know you're mad."

"Oh, you're awful!"

You both shared a chuckle.

"So, what are they about?" He pried, still keeping himself from looking at you.

"So you do want to know!" You boasted proudly. He just rolled his eyes. You ignored him, and continued, "Well, I keep having dreams of these strange monsters, with white masks."

He seemed to tense up when you said that, but you brushed it off as your imagination.

"I'm usually running from them, because they're trying to eat me. Or something. I really don't know, but these dreams won't let me sleep at night... I have one at least every night."

"Just remind yourself that it's only a bad dream. It's not real." Toushirou awkwardly ran his hand through his hair, "You'll be able to sleep then."

"How sweet of you, Toushi-kun. You're concerned about me."

He shivered at the nickname, "No, I'm only trying to get you to go home, so I can have some peace and quiet."

"You love my company, you just won't admit it." You snickered, finally catching his attention. He looked at you dumbfounded.

"So why aren't you sleeping?"

He once again averted his gaze towards the sky, "Just thinking, got a lot on my mind."

"You seem to always be thinking, why don't you talk about it and get it off your chest. Maybe that will help."

"How sweet of you, _-chan. You're concerned about me." He mocked, quoting you word for word. His voice drenched in sarcasm.

"I'm serious!"

"It's not any of your business. Why would I want to tell a complete stranger about my problems."

"Because it'd help."

"Not likely. Nor would you be able to understand."

"Can't blame a girl for trying."

A sharp beeping noise broke the flow of conversation between you two. He hastily reached into his pocket, and dug around a bit. He pulled out a cell phone, flipping the cover open and examining the message he had received.

"I've got to go." He said, flipping the cell phone shut.

"Oh..."

"Go home and sleep."

"What about you? What are you going to do?"

"It's none of your concern, so don't worry about it." He stood up, and looked down towards you, "I don't care if you stay here all night, but it's safer for you to go home."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I don't need you to walk me home, either!"

"Good, 'cause I wasn't planning on it." He smirked softly.

"Are you here every night?"

"Does it matter?"

You nodded, he only sighed in response.

"I'll come to you again if I have any nightmares, Toushi-kun." You giggled.

"Oh, boy..."

You got up and went to climb down the pipes on the side of the building, turning your back to him.

"Good night, Toushirou." You waited for a response, but when you turned back to look, he was already gone.

* * *

And that is how it was every night. You would have a nightmare, and he would be there on the roof top. He would always be there. Maybe you depended on that a little too much.

He might have not talked about himself very much, but at least you were able to find some comfort in the wee hours of the morn. You never knew if he really cared, or if your presence bothered him. But he seemed to grow more comfortable with you as time went on.

You would tell him about your dreams, and he would listen intently, but his response would always be the same: "It's not real, don't worry about it."

But there was always that feeling of uncertainty from his words. You know the truth, but there was a feeling that festered up inside you when he told you they weren't real. Sometimes he could be so convincing that you believed him, even though you knew better. You did have a habit it trying to believe in everyone.

He told you very little about himself. You learned about his friendship with Rangiku and how she annoys him greatly. That white hair is his natural hair colour. There was someone back home that he missed dearly. Also that the said person was recently "sick", but most of all, he kept to himself. Quiet and mysterious, but at the same time short-tempered and quick witted.

The strangest combination imaginable but somehow that is what attracted you. It was what made you want to learn more about him. By this time, you felt as though you could consider him your friend.

Some nights, you two would not even exchange any words. You would both just sit there in silence, while you thought. You would stare at him, and try to probe the passages of his mind, with yours. As impossible as that was, you could not help but try to figure him out.

It always appeared as if something was bothering him, his mind was constantly occupied. No matter how much you tried, you were never able to bring down the wall and figure out what was going through that little head of his. Toushirou would just stare towards the sky, night after night. You hoped one day you could understand him a bit better.

And every night would end the same way. His cell phone would beep, and he would just get up and disappear. Sometimes you wondered if your time with him was actually just a dream.

* * *

You rolled over in bed. For the first time in awhile, you awoke without having a nightmare. You blinked, trying to focus your eyes. It seemed that Toushirou had managed to help you forget about the monsters, at least for a little while.

You wondered if you should go see him, even though you did not have a nightmare. You sat up in bed, only to be greeted by someone you did not expect to see. She stood there, completely stoic. As if she knew you would be awake.

"R-Rukia?" You gasped out, a little startled by her unexpected appearance, "what are you doing here?"

Her harsh expression relaxed, "I came to tell you that Ichigo has been found."

You jumped out of bed immediately, clutching Rukia by her sleeves, "R-really? Is he okay? Where is he? What happened?"

She nodded, "Yes, he's fine. I found a trace of his Reiatsu."

You sighed in relief, even though you still did not understand the Reiatsu bit, "I'm so happy he's alright... But, what is he doing?"

"Who knows, but as long as I know he's alive, that's good enough for me."

You smiled, letting go of her clothing. It was then you realized she was adorned in her Shinigami attire. Rukia laughed dryly, "I guess it's safe to say that your involvement with Ichigo has made you able to see... and touch me too, when I'm like this. It's impressive for a human, you know."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." You fumbled your thumbs together in an awkward manner. Feeling as though it was wrong of you to be able to see her or feel her.

"There's nothing to apologize for, just don't involve yourself anymore. You will be in danger, and you have no way of protecting yourself or fighting. Unfortunately, you didn't turn out like Sado or Orihime. Ichigo would suffer if something were to happen to you because of him."

You stared at the palms of your hands. Their silhouettes visible by the faint moonlight sweeping in through the cracks of your blinds, "I wish there was something I could do to help."

"There is. Stay out of the way, and keep praying for Ichigo. Your friendship does more than you think. He really appreciates you, but he just really wants to protect you and everyone he cares for."

You smiled, but deep down there was still a silent wish. Wishing there was more you could do than stand on the sidelines while your friends fought.

"Thank you, Rukia..."

Rukia placed her hand under your chin, and smiled. "Keep your chin up, there's nothing to worry about. Ichigo is strong, he will be fine."

With that said, she turned and her ghostly body slid away through the wall.

"I might impress you, but I'm still only human..." You said to Rukia, although she was no longer there to hear.

You stared blankly at the wall for a moment, before you let yourself fall to the floor and began hugging your knees. You were so relieved that Ichigo was alright. But that burning passion inside you could not be forgotten. You wanted to help so bad the very depths of your soul ached.

If you could...

...You would do anything to help...

...Anything...

"You're useless..." You breathed out, the corners of your eyes welling with tears.

_...Useless..._


	5. CHP 5: The Confrontation of the Masks

**And here's the other chapter I promised... I did the beginning of this in Toushirou's POV. I hope I did okay. I was thinking of maybe having every couple of chapters in his POV, or at least having pieces of it from his POV... And possibly other characters of the story, as well. Gimme some feedback on what you think.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

I laid back in my usual position on the rooftop, thinking back to the day's earlier events. My body only trembled with frustration.

"Feh... Even after what he did to her..." I sighed to myself, closing my eyes to replay the memories in my mind.

_"Please." She begged, "Don't kill... Aizen-Taicho!"_

_"Momo!" I scoffed, I had hoped she had finally realized the monster he was, but I was wrong. She was still brainwashed by his lies of loyalty and kindness._

_"I know he did some terrible things... But he must have had a reason!" She whimpered, clutching herself. Her body was visibly trembling; showing obvious signs she was still blindly in love with him. My heart sank. I just couldn't bring myself to understand it._

_"That's it!" She broke into cold sweat, a small spark of hope clouding her eyes, "Maybe Ichimaru-Taicho or someone forced him to-"_

"How can you be so stupid, Hinamori..." I opened my eyes, and stared towards the sky, the depths of my heart clenching tightly in my chest, "Why can't you see that he is evil... Why can't you see he doesn't love you? He tried to kill you..."

The questions were directed to no one in particular, but I felt that I needed to get it out. Besides _'s Reiatsu was still far away, I didn't have to worry about her catching me talking to myself. She would never let me hear the end of it, especially since I made fun of her for that.

Oddly enough, it was about the time she would normally show up to bother me. But her Reiatsu was stationary. Maybe she managed to sleep soundly without nightmares for once. That would be a relief, but one can only hope.

But maybe, just maybe she was right about talking and releasing her emotions. Even though no one was here to listen, it felt like a rock off my chest to put my feelings into words.

I laughed to myself. Thinking about how stupid I was being.

After my episode of a slight loss of sanity, I began feeling another Reiatsu moving towards _'s house... Rukia's? What business does she have with her?

Curious, I decided to follow her to see what she was up to.

Shortly after Rukia arrived at her home, there was a large spike in _'s Reiatsu, and it then began to... rain?

I wasn't exactly thrilled about that fact, but it seemed odd.

I walked up the steps towards the Torii gate, just in time to see Rukia step out of the wall, completely in her Shinigami form. I figured that maybe she was pretending to be friends with her and going to her house while in her Gigai, since they go to school together. But that doesn't seem to be the case at all.

She immediately noticed my presence.

"Hitsugaya-Taicho..." She bowed politely, keeping her expression completely emotionless, "What brings you here?"

"I'd like to ask you the same," I interrogated, but perhaps it was just curiosity taking over me.

"Taicho, don't tell me you didn't notice..." She smirked sheepishly, trying to get on my nerves.

"Noticed what?" I grumpily frowned at her, letting her know with my eyes that I was in no mood for games.

"Her strange Reiatsu... I came to check up on her... You felt it, didn't you?"

She didn't seem to be telling the whole truth, but she was right. There is something odd about her Reiatsu. I wondered if it could have something to do with the sudden change in weather.

"Of course I felt it. That's why I'm here. It might attract Hollow's... It was a rather noticeable burst."

"Right, I'll stay and watch over her for the night. She's Ichigo's friend, I think he'd be pretty upset if something happened to-"

"No," I interrupted, "I'd like to check things out. I'll stay and take care of any Hollows."

"Yes, Taicho..." She quickly made her way down the stairs, but looked over her shoulder with worry before heading off to her next destination.

_I hope that idiot actually manages to stay asleep tonight... This could be bad._

* * *

You rocked back and forth on the floor, sniffling. Still feeling a little sorry for yourself, and wishing there was something you could do to help your friends. You harboured a little anger towards Rukia for what she had told you. But you knew she was right.

Everyone is distant towards you now, and you've been feeling so alone. You missed the days of the past. Why is it that you don't have some "magical" power like everyone else managed to get?

You felt jealous of Orihime and Sado. What was it that made them so special, and what was it that you lacked? Why were you only given the ability to see the ghosts and the monsters?

You shook your head, determined not to let yourself cry anymore. You were going to find a way to help your friends, even if it killed you. You didn't want to endure this pain of standing on the sidelines any longer. You couldn't bear to watch them get hurt.

Wiping the tears from your eyes, you stood up to look at the alarm clock on your nightstand. 2:44am... It was a little later than usual. He was normally gone by this time, but you still wanted to make an effort to see him tonight. At least to tell him that Ichigo was alright.

Deep down, you wanted to tell him everything about Ichigo, but you knew he'd think you were crazy. Who would believe that Ichigo was a Shinigami? Who knew for sure you could even trust him.

You threw on a pair of sneakers, opened your bedroom window to climb out, just like you had every night. The only difference was that tonight, it was raining.

You reached your arm out, letting the drops of water sprinkle in the palm of your hand. Maybe Toushirou wouldn't be out tonight because of the rain. But you still wanted to make sure, you felt like you needed to talk to him tonight. You decided to put on a jacket so you wouldn't get too wet.

You hopped out the window and ran in the direction of Orihime's place. You didn't like to be alone for very long, especially at night.

The rain started to come down harder. The water splashed up on you as you ran through the puddles.

You heard a weird scratching noise behind you, and stopped dead in your tracks. It sounded like nails being drug across the cement. You turned around slowly, completely shaken and terrified. But there was nothing there. You sighed in relief, figuring it was just the sound of the rain bouncing off random objects, and hurried on your way.

Even though nothing was behind you, your heart pumped rapidly. The feeling of someone following you was unbearable. The sound broke the tranquillity of the rain beating against the earth, once more.

You looked back yet again, but there was still nothing.

_BOOM!_

The thunder cracked, lightning illuminating the sky. You screamed, jumping out of your skin. You held your chest desperately trying to keep your heart from bursting out of your ribcage.

When you opened your eyes, there was another flash of lightning. You told yourself you wouldn't jump this time when the thunder cracked, but when your eyes adjusted to the dark ambiance, you realized you weren't alone.

This is what you feared most... It was one of those monsters.

It had a large face, covered with a white mask. Its body was like a reptile; enormous, and scaly. Its tongue flopped out of its mouth, and rolled out onto the ground; covered in a slimy, green substance.

You were too scared to scream, or even move. Your knees buckled under your weight. You knew Ichigo was definitely not going to come to your rescue. Your only hope was that Rukia was still around. But she was probably long gone, by now.

"...This is the one... The one that he wants..." A strange, frightening voice said from behind you. It made the hairs on the back of your neck stand straight up.

Your body spun around to location of the voice. It was another Monster. This one had a body quite like a man, except it had very long arms. At the end of its arms were huge claw-like nails.

"What delicious Reiatsu... " The Reptilian monster moaned, "Let's eat her."

Your body broke into a shiver. These things were having a discussion to eat you!

"We can't... We have to bring her to him..."

"Just let me have a taste... Just a bite." It begged. The monsters began to close in on you, leaving you nowhere to run or to hide.

"Somebody! Anybody! Help me!" You screamed, praying for Ichigo, or Rukia, or... anybody.

The humanoid monster began to laugh, "There's no one here to save you, little girl."

You fell to your knees in terror, the reptilian readied to pounce...

There was a white flash, and suddenly the reptile was torn in two. It was only inches from you. Each part of its body fell to the ground, and began to dissolve away; breaking away into thousands of pieces.

Seeing its blood made you feel sick to your stomach, but only for a moment when you remembered the other monster was still behind you.

You turned to look, but its body was already severed.

You broke into sweat, shock overcoming you; your world went fuzzy.

You thought you heard someone calling your name, your saviour. But everything had already fallen into blackness.

"Hey, wake up!"

You heard them calling you, but you were unable to open your eyes.

You felt something cold touch your forehead. You immediately sat up, wide eyed.

"Relax, _-san, it'll be okay now."

"Orihime?" You looked at your surroundings; you were laying on a futon, in Orihime's house, "What am I doing here?"

She wiped your head with a cold face cloth, "You must have fainted outside my house. We found you lying on the sidewalk."

"No!" You clenched the sheets in your fists, "That isn't what happened!"

"Toushirou-kun carried you in, and you have a fever. You're sick, _-san... Who knows how long you were out in the rain." She looked genuinely worried.

"Toushirou? Where is he!" You latched onto Orihime's shoulders, seemingly a little too desperate, "Where is Toushirou?"

The door slammed open, and Rangiku had come flying to your side. She enveloped you – literally – with a hug, "Oh, you had me so worried! I'm so happy you're awake now! Taicho was worried too!"

You once again began to lose consciousness, being suffocated in between Rangiku's breasts.

"Matsumoto! Let her rest!"

You heard his voice, and snapped back to reality. She let go of you, but continued to pout, and squeal about being worried.

"Toushirou! You saved me, didn't you?"

He looked a little surprised, but then nodded, "Yeah, you were out cold on the sidewalk... You should know better than to go outside when it's storming, stupid girl..."

You shook your head, "No! You SAVED me!"

"Saved you from what? Hypothermia?" He said this more disappointed and sarcastically than you would have hoped.

"You saved me from... From the..."

Rangiku cocked her head to the side, while Orihime looked at you with worried eyes as if she was warning you not to say anything.

"From the rain, yes... Thank you..." Your eyes dropped to your hands which had begun fidgeting with the sheets.

"Whatever were you doing in the rain at that time of night, _-chan!" Rangiku prodded you.

"Well, I... I was ... Going to see someone." You sputtered, becoming a little shy.

Hitsugaya stared at you, his eyes showing more emotion than his face.

"Oohh! This someone had to be important! Is it a boyfriend, ne?" Rangiku teased.

"No! Nothing like that!" Your face turned bright red, "just a ... friend."

"Well, whatever it was, it should wait till morning. It couldn't have been that important." Orihime began lecturing, "It's dangerous outside at night! You never know when a super weirdo pervert will pop out of nowhere!"

"I guess you're right, but... It was important."

Orihime sighed, and poked you in the forehead, "Your safety is important too!"

"Hey..." Toushirou cut into the conversation, "Can I talk to _ alone for a minute?"

Both the girls' eyes went wide.

"Oooooh~" Rangiku sang, "Could this important person you were coming to see possibly be Taicho-chan?~"

Your cheeks lit up, but Toushirou barked at her before she was able to tease anymore, "No! Just get out, Matsumoto!"

"Oh, you ruin all my fun!"

Orihime dragged Rangiku out, with much protesting of course, and slid the door shut.

"And no eavesdropping either!" Toushirou hollered.

"Aww, Taicho!" You could hear her muffled whines behind the door. He rolled his eyes.

You couldn't help but smile, Rangiku was so cute at times.

Toushirou sat down beside your futon, cross-legged, and stared at you with a furrowed brow. He remained silent until he was sure Rangiku had been dragged away by Orihime.

"You have to stop doing this." He blatantly stated.

You blinked, "Whoever said it was your choice..."

"Inoue is right; you're going to get raped or something if you keep sneaking out like this. So just don't come see me anymore."

"Well, I don't really think that's fair. I can come if I want to," You quickly shot back.

"I can take that option away from you."

"What are you talking about!" You began to get defensive, completely unhappy with what he was saying.

"I won't be on the roof top anymore, so stay indoors at night, okay?"

"I don't want to... "

"Look, it's for your own good. You're going to get hurt if you don't listen to me," He argued.

"You're not my mother!"

"Stop acting like a child."

"Who's a child? You're the one who looks like a kid!"

A vein swelled on his forehead, and he grumbled at you, "I'm serious."

"Well, so am I! I thought we were friends, Toushirou."

He bit his lip, and then began rubbing his temples. There was a long silence.

"You did save me, didn't you..." You began speaking a bit more calmly.

"Save you from what?" He didn't bother to look at you, and kept the same angry facial expression.

"The monsters... The monsters with the masks." You felt your heart starting to pound in your chest, just at the thought of last night.

"You're having nightmares again, _."

"No, it was too vivid. I swear it happened..."

"Maybe you should see a doctor. And even if it DID happen, and you're NOT crazy, then that should give you even more reason to stay inside at night."

You sighed, "I'm telling you the truth... I'm not crazy! They said that somebody wanted me, so they couldn't eat me..."

He seemed to breathe in, and hold the air in his chest. He then let out a long sigh.

"Okay, okay. Look, I'm not saying you're crazy. But that's a really farfetched story. No one's going to believe you."

A twinge of hurt shot through your chest, but he was right; no one except Ichigo and the others would believe you.

"So it's settled then... You won't be coming over to see me anymore. Okay?"

"Hey, I never agreed to this!"

He shook his head, his white locks somehow perfectly falling back into place, "If it's really that important to you, then I'll come see you."

"...Really...?"

There was a knock at the door, ruining the moment, "Hey guys... School is soon, so we better get going!" Orihime called from behind the door.

"That's right..."

She opened the door and helped you to your feet, "I'm going to take you home first, _-san. I'll tell the teacher what happened and why you're absent. I'll even bring you your homework!"

"No, I'm fine! I can go to school."

Toushirou shot you a dirty look.

You sighed roughly, "Fine..."


	6. CHP 6: Orihime's strange advice

**Sorry for the lateness of the update, I have been very busy with school! I have not abandoned this story and will try to update much more frequently over the summer break. :) Thank you for everyone's patience!**

**Thank you for the reviews Dreamstar14 and Forbidden-Hanyou! You guys rock! ^^**

* * *

_Bang Bang_

The knocking thud against your bedroom door resonated across the room, causing you to perk up, "Yes, grandfather?"

He slid the paper door open, "You have a visitor, _-chan."

Your heart smiled a bit, hoping it was Toushirou finally keeping his promise and coming to see you, "Who is it?"

"Hello, _-san! I brought your homework!" Orihime's voice cheerily resounded in your room.

"Oh, hi Orihime! I'm glad you're here!" You smiled softly, but were slightly disenchanted inside. He hasn't been to see you at all, and it's already been 3 days. This was the 4th, and it was nearly the weekend again.

"I'll leave you girls to chat, I hope you can make her feel better, Orihime," He sighed, pinching his tiny unkempt beard in between his fingers, "she's been feeling a bit downhearted since she became ill."

"I'm fine, grandpa! You worry too much," you waved it off, feeling absolutely fine. It was just the others who were keeping you from going to school.

"I just want you to be in tip-top shape for the ceremony next month."

You had almost forgotten about that, you had barely had any time to rehearse.

"I know. I'll still be able to dance, don't worry!" You assured him, waving your hand around absently as if it were a menial task and smiling brightly.

He reciprocated your smile, and left the room with a nod.

Orihime smiled at you, and set your homework down on a growing pile that was on a small table in the corner of your room.

"You'll like today's homework, it's a drawing assignment!" She said merrily, excited to start working on her project too, "but you haven't been doing your math, I see."

You pouted and stuck your tongue out at her, "You know I'm bad at math!"

You both shared a laugh. She sat down at the edge of your bed.

"Actually, I'm really glad you came today," you began, "I've been wanting to talk to you about something..."

"It's about Kurosaki-kun, right?" She knew right away what was on your mind as if she had a psychic power.

You nodded, hoping she wasn't getting the wrong idea at all, "Yeah. And about..."

"It's okay, Kuchiki-san told me that you know already," she smiled genuinely, "but there isn't much I can tell you... I don't understand it very well myself either."

"Well, you must know something. I don't know anything at all." You gently prodded her, which surprised her a little.

She scratched her head, making a cute thinking face, "Well, I know that Kuchiki-san made him a Shinigami, and then she got in trouble for doing that, and then we had to go save her, and there were a lot of battles, but Kurosaki-kun and the others are strong, and we saved her!" She said it all in one big breath.

You blinked, "Is that why I didn't see anybody around all summer?"

"Yeah, we had to go to another dimension to save her! But don't worry anymore, everything is a-OK!"

"Is Rukia still in trouble?"

"Nope, that all got cleared up too, and everyone is friends now!" She said proudly. It was evident that she had been involved in the rescuing of Rukia.

You smiled happily for her. Though in a way, you felt jealous. You wish you could have been there to help Ichigo and Orihime through the battles. You wanted to help save Rukia, too. She was becoming someone you cared about as well. And if Ichigo cares enough to risk his life to protect her, then she must be important to him.

"Orihime..." Your voice cracked, feelings of depression fogging up your mind, "How do you... how did you get your powers?"

The smile washed from her face, "I don't know. They just happened. They were there for me when I needed them."

"Why don't I have any?" You bit your lip, holding back your frustration with yourself. You felt completely hopeless, unable to understand what she meant.

"I don't know... Maybe you do, you just haven't found it yet!" She tried to cheer you up, "But that doesn't mean you should go looking for trouble. The bad guys are really scary!"

"How do you do it? I mean, how can you face them without being afraid?" Your hands started to quiver, the memories washing over you. It was a terrifying feeling.

Orihime placed her hands over yours. You looked up towards her, your mouth slightly hanging open. She smiled the same sweet smile she always had, "It's because I want to protect the people important to me... People like you, and Tatsuki."

Your body relaxed, a small dimple forming in your cheeks, "I see. So that's how it is."

"But don't get me wrong. I'm still scared, too!" She said with a very exuberant nod, "Plus I got Kurosaki-kun and everyone to fight alongside me. They're all very strong!"

She slid a finger across the edge of her chin, "That reminds me. I saw Kurosaki-kun the other day, and he was asking about you!"

That immediately caught your attention, "Really? Where is he? Is he safe?"

"Yeah, he's fine... He's just training to become stronger."

You sighed, thinking he was already strong enough and should just spend time with you and his family. But boys will be boys, "What did he say about me?"

"He just wanted to know if you were safe, and if we were watching over you. He's been worried since you found out about us."

"I hope you told him I was great, and that he's just being a big baby!" You crossed your arms, and hunched over.

Orihime laughed, "Well, something like that anyways."

A strange air filled the room. Orihime stared towards her hands, her fingers entangled with each other. You noticed the subtle smile forming on her face.

You broke your gaze away from her, staring down towards your own hands; looking over all the crevices in your finger prints and your palms. You flipped your hands over and clenched your blanket tightly, "... I really do miss him..." you said, breaking the silence.

Orihime lifted her face towards you; her lips were curled down towards her chin, "I'm sorry..."

You shook your head, ruffling your bangs into your face, "It's not your fault he doesn't care anymore. All he cares about is being strong and being a Shinigami. I wish I could be there with you, Orihime! I wish I could come join that world so I can be with you guys again..."

Orihime continued to frown. She began to question your feelings towards Ichigo. She wondered if that maybe you were in love with him.

You saw Orihime's concerned look and forced a smile, "Don't worry. It's okay. I just miss you guys, that's all," this seemed to make her happy, because she stopped frowning. You decided to change the subject, "Orihime... Where has Toushirou-kun been? He promised to come see me..." You trailed off, feeling a little embarrassed that you seemed so hopeful for him to come and see _you_, for once.

She thought about it for a moment before responding, "I don't really know. I haven't seen him since the day you got sick."

It was your turn to begin frowning. What a jerk! He promised and now he's disappeared.

Orihime noticed your change in expression, and took this opportunity to lighten the mood, "Why does it matter so much?" She stifled a giggle, "It wouldn't happen that you have a crush on Hitsugaya-kun, would it?~" She nearly sang the last sentence.

"What?" You shot back, "Are you kidding me? That midget... a crush? Ha! That's a good one..."

"Well you do seem like you guys have something for each other. Always arguing childishly, like there's some sort of spark between you." She said coyly.

You glared at her, "As if! He's just mean to me. See, he even made me a promise and then broke it! How could he like me? If he liked me then he would have done anything to come here and be with me." You nodded, after strictly laying the law.

"But you're not denying that you like him." Her lips seemed to twist in the most evil smile you've ever seen donned on Orihime's face. She enjoyed seeing you become livelier.

"Oi! There's no way, no how, absolutely NO chance of me liking him! He's too much of a self-centred jerk. I don't even think he enjoys my company. And all this time I've been going to see him when he's been unable to sleep, and just sits up on the roof... all night... and ignores... me..." You began to realize that you were telling Orihime way too much about what you and Toushirou did together. Your palm came colliding into your forehead, you felt like an idiot.

"Ugh!" You exasperated, then looked back over at Orihime. She seemed to be lost in thought, smiling to herself, "What's that look for?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing... I just think it's sweet."

"Think what's sweet!" You still spoke in a very fractious and high-strung voice.

Orihime stood up, with a large grin plastered across her face, "Well, I should probably get home. Matsumoto-san might be tearing my place apart." She laughed, and headed towards the door.

You had the urge to stick your tongue out, and tell her how silly it was for her to think such things, but she spoke before your mind was able to rationalize itself, "You know, it's not a bad thing. To like someone."

"But I don't like-!"

"It's like an egg..." She began, "An egg covered in something hard... Something like... ice! Yeah, that will work." She nodded with much passion, stars in her eyes like she had just come to the most fabulous conclusion.

You cocked your head to the side and rose an eyebrow, no idea what Orihime was going on about.

"And somehow you've managed to melt the ice and crack the egg."

You were certain there were question marks spawning over your head by now, hoping that she would get a sense of your confusion. But she only closed her eyes, and smiled.

"And I think it's sweet." She then opened your door, and took a step out, "I'm sure he enjoys your company. He just doesn't show it well... He's... trained to be that way."

"What do you mean trained?"

She shrugged, "Maybe someday he will tell you. But for now, you just have to take the spoon and keep chipping away the shell."

"Enough with the weird analogies!" You sighed, "I don't get what you're talking about..."

"I'm sure he will come and see you soon, don't worry." She waved, "Good bye, _-san. Hope you feel better tomorrow!"

And then she was gone, leaving you completely drenched in confusion, and your mouth hanging ajar.


	7. CHP 7: Unknown Intentions

**Hey guys! I will be trying to upload more frequently. (: If you drop me a review, I seem to feel more compelled to update faster, so please tell me what you think! I would love it if you guys tried to guess what will be happening next, or the intentions of certain characters! It's fun to see! Hope you all enjoy the next installment.**

**Thanks a bunch to Scarlett Foxie and Forbidden-Hanyou for the reviews. **

**SF: I'm glad I was able to captivate your interest. I think it's more fun for the reader to "create" their own OC than it is for people to read about other peoples. xD Hence, the idea! There isn't really a character I felt could fill in the spot, so...! And the reason for that... well, you'll have to wait and see. xD **

**FH: You're very welcome! I'll be sure to keep uploading for ya! :D**

* * *

You yawned, and stretched your arms as far out from your sides as you could. You finally were able to coax Orihime into letting you go to school. It seemed as if it were a really long day, since you were used to lazing around in bed. That's all you were _allowed_to do all week, although you weren't actually sick.

You stood in the courtyard of the school, watching the remaining students leave the school premises; the warm fall air crisp and clean. You threw your book bag over your shoulder and started to head out too, but then you realized you forgot to get your homework for the weekend from inside your locker.

You sighed, and made your way back into the school. It was eerily silent with all the students gone. You could hear every footstep you made resonate throughout the halls. When you made it to your locker, you opened it. The interior was covered with cute stickers, magazine cut-outs of your favourite Anime's, and a pink mirror that was shaped like "Chappy", which Rukia had given you earlier. She was trying to cheer you up since you were _ill._ She seemed to be a big fan of this Chappy character, although you've never heard of it before.

You stuffed your textbook, which was filled with stray papers, into your book bag. You rearranged your cluttered locker a little bit, and straightened out your uniform. You peered into the Chappy Mirror to check your hair, when you noticed someone standing behind you.

You jerked and turned around, ready to slap the random pervert who was stalking you.

He grabbed your wrist before you able to get anywhere close to a strike, "Nice try, _-chan, but not quick enough."

"Toushi-kun!" You half-screamed, half-breathed out in relief, "You scared me!"

Oddly, he smirked, "Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you."

You cocked your head to the side. It wasn't like him to apologize. Let alone be nice, at all. But then it hit you, "Oh, wait... Wait... I see what you're trying to do. You're trying to butter me up because you broke your promise, huh?" You crossed your arms, "that's it, isn't it?"

"If that's what you think, then suit yourself." He shrugged, and began to walk away, without another word.

"Hey! Where are you going? You think you're just going to get off that easy?" You chased after him. He led you up the stairs, to the roof of the school. You opened the door, the sun's beams brightly shining down on you. There was little shade on top of the building.

He was sitting at the edge of the building, precariously dangling his legs over the side. You eyeballed him a little; he seemed to be in a bit of an eccentric mood. You questioned yourself as you sat down beside him. You were probably far clumsier than he, and one wrong move could mean your death, or at the very least, a couple broken limbs. Neither of which were appealing to you, at the slightest.

You peeked at him from the corner of your eyes. Your mind began to replay the conversation that you and Orihime had the other night. You immediately bit your tongue, trying to clear your head of the thoughts of "liking" him. Your cheeks dusted rose.

"What's wrong? You're flushed... Are you still sick?" He asked with his usual scowl. It actually caused you to relax a little. His scowl let you know that he was indeed, still the same old Hitsugaya Toushirou that you knew.

"No! I'm fine, really!" You waved your hands, assuring him you were okay. You were never sick at all, for gosh sakes!

"I see." He said, seemingly uncaring, drifting back to the view of the schoolyard.

Your eyes also fell to the courtyard below. It looked a lot different from this point of view, "Why didn't you come to see me, like you promised?"

He sighed, "I was busy."

"Really... Were you really? Or are you just making excuses?" You felt a little odd for making it seem like it was so very important of him to come see you.

"Sorry. Something came up. But I'm here now, aren't I?" He said in somewhat of an agitated voice.

You were going to yell at him again, but decided against it last minute, "I guess so..." You felt as if you were letting him off the hook way too easily, "But you better make it up to me!"

He looked at you with bemusement, "Oh really? How?"

You shrugged, "How should I know."

"Didn't really think that far ahead, did you?" He laughed, "Or rather, you're incapable of doing so."

"Hey!"

He only continued to grin, mischievously.

You looked at him with wide eyes. His eyes met yours, and then you let your gaze fall to your feet. You kicked them back and forth like a child would while sitting on a swing, and remained quiet.

"Relax. I'm only kidding," he assured you, which also wasn't like him at all.

You shook your head, trying to force a smile, "No, it's not that. I've just had a lot on my mind recently."

"When have you not had a lot on your mind..." He breathed out, almost in an irritated tone.

You leaned back, holding yourself up with your arms and smiled slightly, "That is true, isn't it? But I could say the same about you. The only difference is that you don't really talk about what's on your mind."

"Doesn't matter what I think about."

"Yes it does. I'd listen to what you had to say."

Hitsugaya shrugged, and then let himself fall backwards to lie on his back. He supported his head with his arms, and stared off into the sky.

"Well, what are you thinking about now?" He asked, trying to change the subject so he wouldn't have to talk about himself.

You peered into the sun momentarily-Blinding yourself. You fluttered your eyes shut; you could see little blotches of where the sun had burnt your retinas. You blinked a couple times to get rid of the feeling. You attempted to stall for time, to think of something to talk about. You didn't really want to speak to him about was _really_on your mind.

"Well?" He verbally prodded, "I don't have all day, you know."

"Just thinking about Ichigo, I guess." You managed to stumble out.

"What else is new..." He grumbled to himself, which caused you to peer over at him inquisitively.

"I'm sorry?" you said timidly, feeling as though you somehow made him upset, "we don't have to talk about my problems if you don't want to."

"No, it's not that. Don't worry about it. Continue." He guided you to proceed, but still lay in his lethargic position. He wouldn't seem to make eye contact with you.

You shrugged, "I don't know... I just don't feel as if he cares anymore. Everyone tells me he does, but he never even bothers to see me," you sighed, "I feel so... useless."

"What makes you feel that way?"

"I just... I don't know, I can't really tell you..."

This caused him to lift himself and look at you, "what do you mean you can't tell me?"

"I guess it's something between Ichigo and me... so I guess I should respect him, and keep it a secret." You told him, but wondered what he thought about what you said. You wished you could read minds; it would make your life easier.

Hitsugaya rubbed the back of his neck with his palm. He appeared to be thinking deeply about something.

"What is it?" You asked, hoping that you could at least get something out of him.

It took him awhile before he spoke, but eventually he gave in, "remember when we first met, I told you about a friend of mine back home?" He spoke quietly, almost distantly.

"Yeah, I remember. Well, that IS one of the things I can actually remember about that night." You remembered the other strange incidents that you _think_happened that night, but couldn't be sure. Considering your injury was apparently a figment of your imagination and there was no scar to be seen.

He shot a weird look at you, but then continued on, "Well, she's been really sick lately."

_I knew it was a girl_, you thought to yourself, "Is she okay?"

He looked at you, his face was stoic but his eyes seemed to be full of worry and pain. You felt as if butterflies were flapping around in your stomach from the amount of emotion you could see in his eyes. It made you feel... peculiar.

"I hope so..."

"You mean you don't really know?" You stayed silent for a moment, and thought carefully about what you were about to say. You were unsure whether you should say it or not, because you were afraid he would leave and you'd lose his friendship. You had already lost Ichigo; you didn't want to lose him, too.

"Maybe you should... go back and see her."

"It's not that easy, _," Once again, he begun to avoid looking at you.

"Why not? Just pack up and leave for a couple weeks. I'm sure you could find a way... Get your homework, and do it while you're with your friend. I'm sure your teachers would understand. It's kind of an emergency, right?" You blathered on; trying to make it seem like it was fine for him to go see her. But in reality you didn't want him to go.

"I can't... Besides, this is something she needs to overcome herself."

"Why can't you?" You continued to prod at him, maybe in some desperate attempt to see how he felt about this girl.

He shot a glare at you. You decided it was best to stop asking questions. At least he was opening up to you at all. Prying too much might make this never happen again.

"I'm sorry... I don't know why... I..." You stumbled on your words, not sure what you really wanted to say, or what you really wanted him to know. You were only afraid of expressing your care for him, not knowing how he felt about you. Maybe you just wanted him to be happy. Since majority of the time, he didn't actually seem to be cheery.

He let his face soften, "its okay. It's just one of those things that I need to deal with."

You fumbled your thumbs together, twiddling them in an awkward manner. Unsure of what you should do now. Maybe you should just go home. Maybe he wanted to be alone.

You looked up to the sky. The sun was already beginning to set. You were surprised how much time had passed while you spoke with him. The sky was filled with orange, and the clouds were lightly dusted pink. It was like an oil painting. You couldn't help but recognize how astonishing it looked.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Toushirou?"

He once again sat up from lying on his back, to see what you were looking at, "Yeah..."

You hugged your knees into your chest, and stared off to the sunset. The two of you were silent, just enjoying the view.

"I should probably go home now." You said, still staring out to the sky, "It's getting late, and I need to help my grandfather."

Toushirou nodded, not saying anything.

You peered over to him, and smiled, "Thank you, Toushirou."

"What for?"

"Coming to see me... and finally talking to me about you."

His nose scrunched up a little, he didn't look pleased that you managed to get him to talk, "Yeah... you're welcome, I guess."

You had a strange urge to give him a hug, but you quickly shook that feeling, "Well, good bye, I guess." You stood up and turned to walk away.

"Wait." He called out to you, which you were secretly hoping for.

You stopped, and slowly turned to look at him. Your heart began pounding, though you didn't really understand why, "Yes?"

"I'll be here."

"Here?" You weren't too sure what he had meant.

"Yeah, around this time... That way you don't have to go outside at night."

You smiled, "Thank you."

* * *

I stayed there as she left. I could see her run through the schoolyard, with her ridiculous book bag, which was much too big for her, hanging over her shoulder. She stopped and turned to wave at me. It was kind of funny to see how small and childish she looked from up here. I waved back, and she continued on her way.

I watched as her silhouette eventually disappeared from my view. I leaned back again, and stared up at the sky. My mind was full tonight, but I couldn't bring myself to talk about it with her. Well, it's not really like I was able to discuss Seireitei matters with a human. I don't think she'd be able to comprehend that my childhood friend is in love with a man who tried to murder her. She'd probably suggest something unhelpful, like, "Why don't you get the police involved?" But obviously, doing so wouldn't help in the slightest.

"Momo..." I whispered inaudibly. My eyelids fell shut as I replayed the memories in my mind.

_Why can't you see that Aizen will never actually care for you...?_

I sighed, and my eyebrows pressed together into a frown.

_Why doesn't anyone listen to me? I'm a Taicho... They're supposed to follow MY orders._

I let my eyes flutter open. As my vision adjusted, I noticed the sky was beginning to dim, and the first stars were now visible. I hoped that _ made it home okay. Ha, I was worrying about her. I could feel the corners of my lips beginning to rise towards my cheeks.

"_..." Her name glided off my tongue, in almost a sense of security.

_She sure does worry about Ichigo a lot...  
_

I sighed, as I came to the realization.

_She's in love with him, isn't she...?_

The smile that was once forming melted off my face.

* * *

You were carelessly skipping your way home. You felt a strange sense of contentment, that hasn't filled you in a long time. You were excited to have a friend that you could count on, and that would listen to you. Somebody you could trust with your secrets.

Of course Orihime was also very dependable, but she was so busy with the Shinigami mess, that she barely had any time.

Toushirou was just an ordinary teenager, just like you. You could relate with him, and you know he would always be there.

You smiled, and once again felt that strange feeling in the pit of your stomach.

You ran up the stairs of the Shinto, eager to finish your chores so tomorrow would come faster.

But something wasn't right; it was sinisterly quiet in the Shinto. All the lights were off in the tiny living quarters, when your grandfather was normally awake at this time.

You suddenly felt a familiar feeling. A heavy pressure, that dropped you to your knees. Your head pounded, and your joints felt as if they were going to explode. Tears formed in your eyes from the pain, stringing down your cheeks as soon as they broke the surface of your tear ducts.

Abruptly the feeling lifted, and you were able to breathe again. You looked up to see a tall man, standing in front of you. You cowered beneath him, not sure who he was, or what he wanted.

"I-I'm sorry, but the Shinto is closed now..." You managed to stutter out, your tears still staining your cheeks.

He smiled a large, toothy grin. Almost devilishly, "Stupid girl, I'm not a customer."

You noticed there was a strange, white mask across one side of his jaw. You also observed that he was missing an arm.

"What are... you?" It was the last thing you were able to say before the violent force once again shoved you towards the hard concrete tiling of the Shinto.

You could hear his cold laughter, and saw his foot coming to collide with your head, just as you passed out from the pain.

* * *

Toushirou sprung up from his lazy position on the roof top, in a swift motion.

"Arrancar? No... Espada..." He spoke to himself, and immediately ate his Gikon to jump out of his Gigai.

He commenced to sense its position. Then he realized.

_Why the hell is the Espada with _?_

Hitsugaya began to panic, and rapidly began to shun-po to your Shinto. His lungs felt as if they were tearing from the inside, and he had a desperate thirst. But he pushed himself to the limit to get to you as fast as he could.

When he arrived, he breathed in the scene as fast as he could, his lungs still burning. He saw you lying on the ground, and quickly went to your side.

Just as he picked you up, holding you bridal style, Matsumoto appeared as well.

When she saw Hitsugaya, she let her guard down, "Taicho! What happened?" she asked.

Hitsugaya shot a glare at her, she was confused. But then a cero come flying in her direction. She was just barely able to dodge it. She jumped backwards from the blast, skidding across the tiling as she balanced herself.

Matsumoto regrouped beside Hitsugaya.

"Matsumoto, take the girl. Bring her someplace safe." Hitsugaya passed you to Matsumoto, and then drew his Zanpakutou, "Show yourself, Espada!"

There was a hysterical, mad laugh that seemed to boom from every direction. Grimmjow had come hurling down from the heavens; landing in front of them, creating a large boom as he collided with the earth. Dust flying up, surrounding him.

"You're too late, Shinigami. It's already been done." He smiled devilishly, and ripped open the Garganta.

"What has?" Toushirou demanded to know, as he darted towards Grimmjow in an attempt to slash him with his Zanpakutou.

Grimmjow just continued to laugh wildly, as the Garganta closed in front of Hitsugaya's face.

"Dammit!" He snarled, knowing that the Espada had successfully escaped. It was only moments before his mind cleared and he remembered the state you were in.

Everything happened so fast, Matsumoto was never actually able to get away. Hitsugaya span around to her direction, with a look of worry plastered across his face.

"It's okay!" Matsumoto assured, holding your body in her arms, "she's breathing... She's alive."

Hitsugaya ran his fingers over your forehead, brushing a piece of your bangs away to see your face, which caused Matsumoto to blink and stare awkwardly at him.

"She's bleeding." He said, calmly. Your blood was on his hands, "Bring her to Orihime's. She can heal her again, then we'll put her in her bed, and pretend this never happened, okay?"

"Yes, Taicho, but... Is it really wise to leave her here? She _was_just attacked by an Arrancar..."

"I know... I'll stay here and watch over her. Don't worry." Toushirou breathed out.

"Yes, Taicho..." Matsumoto nodded, before shun-poing away towards Orihime's house.

Hitsugaya watched as his Fukutaicho sped off. He stared angrily towards the blood on his hands. Your blood, "What the hell just happened?"


	8. CHP 8: Revelation of the Death God

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I wanted to update this A LOT sooner, but I have been under so much stress because I recently got accepted into college (woohoo!) It's just that it was so last minute, that everything is very, VERY frustrating! Still so many things I need to complete and I only have 7 more days until school starts... **

**Anyways, a couple of you had some pretty good guesses! I won't spoil anything, but there were some things that were correct. For the rest, you'll just have to wait and see. ;)**

Oh, responses to reviews will be AT THE BOTTOM of the story. Don't forget to give it a look.

And with all that out of the way, what do you think the next chapter holds?

* * *

You ferociously propelled forward, springing up from the bed, kicking your legs which only caused you to dishevel your bedding. This in turn, caused you to throw your blankets down onto the floor. You stopped, and caught your breath, you were safe. It was all gone; there was nothing and no one there to hurt you. Blinking, so your eyes could come into focus, you realized you were in your room.

You looked around the area as your mind popped back to reality, it must have been another one of your nightmares.

But never before had you seen a monster that looked like a human. Your nightmares were indeed getting stranger. Maybe now you could begin to relax, as the real monsters were no longer haunting your dreams.

You looked down at your completely unscathed hands. Flexing your fingers back and forth to make sure the feeling was there.

"If this was all just a dream... then why does it feel so real?"

* * *

"What the hell do you mean you don't know what happened, Toushirou?" Ichigo slammed his fists against the table, snarling towards Hitsugaya. Orihime jumped from the impact Ichigo made and looked at him with a worried guise written across her face.

Toushirou glared towards him in return, "That's Hitsugaya-Taicho to you, Kurosaki!" He let himself relax, trying not to let his blood boil, and overact, "It's like I told you. We didn't get there in time. She's not hurt, but the Espada told us 'It has already been done'."

"And what does that mean? Is she going to die?" Ichigo's voice cracked, his face crumbling into anger. Orihime rested her palm on his shoulder, which caused him to soften his tense body. He let his eyes fall shut and rested his chin in his hands, which made it look as if he were praying. He held his breath in his lungs, doing his best to remain calm.

"...I don't know. We're waiting to see if anything happens..."

"Waiting!" His grip once more constricting, the bones of his knuckles protruding against his skin, "and what are you doing now? Leaving her as bait while you sit here drinking your damn tea?"

"Ayasegawa and Madarame are watching over her now. Relax." Hitsugaya frowned, "We're gathering information from Seireitei, as we speak... But so far Soutaicho and Squad 12 seem uninterested in human affairs..."

Renji leaned into the doorway, impelling himself into the conversation, "Maybe this is just a taunt. Maybe the Espada know of your relationship with the humans and are using it as a way to make you angry."

Ichigo shook his head in disgruntlement at what Renji had said. He stood up, and turned to leave. Orihime watched him, sadly. Anyone could plainly see her emotions on her face; she didn't want him to leave again.

"Where are you going, Kurosaki?" Hitsugaya barked at him, aggravated for his own reasons.

Ichigo faced Hitsugaya, "I'm going back to train. I need to get stronger, so I can protect everyone."

"Hn."

"So you're just going to disappear again?" Renji said in a foul manner. Ichigo disregarded his statement, and carried on his way.

As Ichigo went to take off, he stopped as he made eye contact with Orihime. She gazed at him with her worried eyes. His face softened for an instant, but then his eyes returned to his stoic stare; Orihime sighed at his actions, but nodded. She knew this was something that he needed to do.

Without another word, Ichigo left.

* * *

He gaped up the stairs of the Shinto shrine, peering beyond the Torii gate. He closed his eyes to sense Ikkaku's and Yumichika's Reiatsu's. They were close by, which gave him a small sense of reprieve.

He knew you had no chance if even the most diminutive Hollow attacked you, so it comforted him to know that Hitsugaya and his squad were watching over you while he trained to control his Inner Hollow with the Vaizard's.

A slight smile began to form on his face as he remembered a few of his bygone childhood memories with you. He turned away from the Shinto, vowing to protect you, his family, and all the others that he cared about.

"Ichigo... Is that you?"

He jumped, and turned to face the voice; your voice. Inside his heart, it pained him to know that you were able to see him while he was in his Shinigami form. It meant that you truly would be a target for the Hollow's.

"Y-yeah, it's me." He stumbled out. He wasn't sure why he came here in the first place. He didn't want to get you involved with his problems; he just wanted to confirm that you were safe.

You walked down the steps, making your way over towards him, "Why are you like that right now... Is something wrong?" You enquired, feeling concerned.

"No, not at all," He lied, "I just... wanted to check up on you."

You smiled, knowing he still cared meant so much to you, "I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about," You let your gaze fall to the ground, still smiling softly, "It's really good to see you, Ichigo..."

Ichigo let himself grin as well, nostalgia filling him, "It's good to see you too..."

Your stomach filled with knots; there were so many things you wanted to say to him, so many things you wanted to lecture him about. You were given the opportunity, but none of the right words would come to you. The only thing that mattered right now was that he still cared, and that he came to see you.

You felt water well up in your eyes. You tried to hide it from him, but you could tell he already knew you were trying to fight back tears. His smile softened and he put his palm onto the top of your head. As if you were a sibling to him.

You looked up at him again, jumping into his chest, drawing him into a hug. It surprised you, but hesitantly, he held you back.

"Ichi, I..." You struggled to get your words out, but pushed yourself. You needed to get everything off your chest, "I know... that this is something you have to do. I know that you can't be here anymore, like you used to be. I know we are in different worlds now."

"_, I'm sorry..."

"No. Don't apologize," You shook your head against him, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to understand... I just wanted to help."

Ichigo bit his lip. He didn't know what to say to you.

"Please, Ichigo. Let me help you."

He sighed, pushing you out of his arms, and holding you by your shoulders, "You can't help." He stared strongly into your eyes, trying to convey his concern. He wanted you to know that he cared, but he didn't quite know how to say it.

"Please teach me how to be strong... like you." Your eyes were big and pleading. You wanted him to know how much you wanted to be able to protect him, and the people who mattered to you. It was the same thing that mattered to him.

"I have my own problems to worry about right now. I can't worry about training you. Besides, you don't have any powers, _..."

It melted you inside, but you knew he was right. You clenched your fists together.

"Just stay out of the way... Please."

You looked up at him one last time, and turned to run back up the shrine's stairway. Ichigo watched you rush away from him. He made no effort to go after you; he just averted away and went the other direction.

He appeared cold, but inside, he just didn't want you to get hurt. He hoped you would listen to him, and keep yourself out of harm's way.

_Please don't be stubborn..._

* * *

Hitsugaya laid back indolently, resting his head on his arms. He stared up aimlessly to the sky, kicking his legs back and forth over the edge of the building almost in an irritated manner.

He sensed Ichigo's Reiatsu was with you right now. Still, he had come to the school, just like he promised you he would.

But somehow, he knew you wouldn't turn up.

He sighed, and wondered what you and Ichigo were doing right now.

Hitsugaya frowned, _You can't just come and go into her life as you please... Don't you realize you're only hurting her more...?_

He leaned over, turning onto his side, and grumbled to himself, _Since when did I care so much..._

He laid there in silence, focusing on yours and Ichigo's Reiatsu. He couldn't help but notice your Reiatsu was wavering. It was much fainter in comparison to Ichigo's, but he figured he was more accustomed to sensing yours, than his.

Once again there was that strange spike in your Reiatsu, the one he had felt the night when you were attacked by the Hollow's.

And almost as expected, a water droplet splashed against Hitsugaya's nose. He opened his eyes to see it delicately sprinkling down from the sky.

He glowered at the clouds for getting him wet, and then promptly made his way inside the building.

* * *

You cried into your pillow, clutching it close to your body.

_It's not fair!_ You mentally squealed, _Why can't I do anything... Why am I so useless!_

You bolted up, and hurled your pillow against the wall, "I'm sick of crying! I'm going to find a way to help!"

_I'm going to find a way to help even if it kills me!_

* * *

The door to the roof of the school swung open, and you peered out.

"Toushirou?" You called out, hopefully. But he was nowhere to be seen.

It's not like you really expected him to be here, because it was just drizzling. The surface was still a bit damp, so it would be impractical of him to sit around here. You let the door fall shut, and propped up against it, sinking down to the floorboards. You rested your head in your knees, and exhaled noisily. You weren't sure where else he would be.

"Hey."

You flinched, your eyes shooting up to the voice. Somehow you knew it would be him, "you know, you have a major habit of sneaking up on me!"

He laughed, "Not my fault you're deaf."

You pouted, sticking your bottom lip out as greatly as it would go, "You're so mean!"

He leered, but then his composure changed. He looked displeased, "Your eyes are all red and puffy... Have you been crying?"

You looked away from him, hiding your eyes behind your eyelashes, "Of course not."

His demeanour dropped, almost as if he knew what had happened, "its Ichigo isn't it?" He said, turning away from you.

"What?" You were a little shocked. How could he have known that Ichigo had come to see you?

"I'm going to get some fresh air." He said inertly, as if he were waving everything off. You stood up to let him go out the door that you were leaning against.

You gazed at his back as he walked out. It wasn't until you heard the door click shut that you opened it back up to follow him.

You walked up beside him. He was staring towards the sky. Surprisingly, the sun was shining brightly now. The weather had cleared up.

"How did you know it was something to do with Ichigo...?" You asked, a little timidly; something seemed to be bothering him.

He shot a glare at you like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which caused you to recoil a bit.

He sighed, and wobbled his head from side to side, "It's just always about Ichigo."

This caught you off guard. It almost sounded as if he were making a jealous remark. You stared at your feet, lifting your body from the tips of your toes, to your heels.

"Toushirou, I..." you bit your lip, but managed to continue, "I trust you, you know."

He peered at you from the corner of his eye, but didn't make any response.

"There's something I have to tell you."

Hitsugaya scrunched his nose. He seemed as if he didn't want to know what you wanted to tell him. He closed his eyes before replying, "Don't worry. I know what you want to tell me already."

You were taken aback, "Y-you do?"

You were deeply confused, and curious to how he knew. At the very least, a little worried about how he found out.

"Of course I know. I can see it all over your face," he shot out, "I can hear it in your voice when you talk about him."

"What do you mean?" You became stiff, fiddling your fingers together in an inelegant way. You felt as if you had done or said something wrong.

He let it all out in a large breath, "you're going to tell me about your feelings for Ichigo, right?"

"What?" You shot him a look of disbelief, "No!" You told him, utterly shell-shocked, "what in the world gave you that impression?"

It was like he hit a brick wall. He shut his mouth in a hasty motion and looked away from you, embarrassed. He began kicking small debris off the side of the building.

You blinked, while your mind wondered off a bit, "Why... would that be a bad thing?"

This in turn caused him to blink.

"Never mind," you knew it was useless to try to pry it out of him; he already seemed to be in a bad mood. Maybe something bad happened between him and his girlfriend back home.

"Then what is it that you wanted to tell me?" He began pushing you, as if to change the subject. Obviously he had humiliated himself.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about-..." You cut yourself off for a moment, "I need you to promise me two things first."

He cocked his head to one side, slightly, "What is it?"

"I need you to promise to not think I'm a nut case... and to never tell anyone about it."

"Why? I already know you're a nut case." He sat down onto the side of the building, since it had dried off from the sunshine.

You glared at the back of his head, hoping to burn a hole through it with your solid stare, "Please. Just promise me."

He waved his hand about, "Fine. I promise. Just get on with it."

You sat down cross-legged beside him, and thought carefully how to word yourself, "Well... I don't really have anyone to talk about this with. I really need to get it out, so I'm choosing you to share it with."

"Oh, I'm so flattered." His tone was gradually changing, he sounded less grumpy.

"You know my nightmares?" You began.

This made him look over to you, "What about them?"

"They're not just nightmares... The monsters... They are real," you shivered, remembering all the times you've been attacked or had seen them.

"_... It's just a nightmare," Hitsugaya tried to comfort you.

"Please, just hear me out. You promised," you pleaded.

He sighed, raising his hands to his temples. He began rubbing them in a circular motion, "Okay, fine."

"The monsters, they eat ghosts or something. They've been after me. I don't know why."

Hitsugaya remained quiet as you spoke. You weren't sure what he was thinking, but he seemed deep in thought.

In an intense breath, you told him, "And Ichigo... He's a... Shinigami."

"_..."

"Please don't think I'm crazy. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. I can see the monsters, I can see the ghosts." You shook your head, but kept rambling on about it, "I've seen Ichigo fight them. Rukia is a Shinigami too! And Orihime has magic powers."

You paused, your facial expression sinking.

"But I don't... I need to find a way to fight the monsters too, so I can protect Ichigo and my friends... So I can protect you." You looked towards Hitsugaya after the last words fell off your lips. He stared at you with wide eyes, like what you had said really astonished him.

You prayed that he'd actually believe you. You knew how crazy it must have sounded. You didn't even believe it at first, even when you sawthe monsters. You would just have to come to terms if he didn't believe in you.

There was an awkward silence amongst you. You stared towards him with hopeful eyes, and waited. You just wanted him to say something; anything.

After what seemed like a deep, mental struggle, he finally spoke, "There's something I need to tell you, too..."

Hitsugaya rustled in his pocket, and took out something that looked like a PEZ dispenser. You raised an eyebrow at it. Was this really a time to bring out some candy?

"You... have a candy addiction?" You asked him sarcastically.

He grimaced towards you, "It's not candy... It's called a Gikongan."

"Okay, so what does it do?"

"Well, I'll show you..."

He began raising the small candy shaped innards of the PEZ dispenser to his lips, but before he was able to show you what the supposed "not candy" did, you were interrupted by a weird ripping sound behind you.

You and Hitsugaya turned to see what it was. A large black hole ripped horizontally through the sky. There was the sound of footsteps treading through the darkness. Finally, the armless man with the jaw mask stepped through the shadows.

Your eyes almost fell out of your sockets at the amount of force you put behind your eyelids to make sure you were not dreaming again, "It's him! It's the guy from my nightmare!" You screamed, pointing towards him in a desperately frightened manner.

The man commenced his maddened cackle, "Well, this is funny, isn't it... You're with a Shinigami?"

Hitsugaya and you seemed to look at each other in unison. You weren't sure if this guy thought you were a Shinigami, or whatever. But he was certainly wrong. You had hoped for that kind of strength, but that doesn't mean you had gotten your wish.

The man slowly raised up his hand towards you and Hitsugaya. A strange ball of light began forming in the palm of his hand.

Hitsugaya was quick to move, and hurriedly scooped you up, carrying you bridal style. Dashing out of the way before it broke into a screaming blast of light. It just barely missed you. You watched as the light turned into a string as it faded from existence.

You held on tightly to Toushirou's neck, unsure of what was going on. But none the less you appreciated that he possessed enough speed to dodge that attack.

"Toushirou, please run away! It's not you he wants, it's me!" You begged for him to go, pulling on the collar of his shirt, but he ignored you completely.

Before you knew it, two Shinigami showed up. They seemed to appear out of thin air, right in front of you, with their backs facing towards you. Each was adorned with a large katana, in position to ready a strike.

One had long strawberry blonde hair, while the other had a red pineapple hair-cut. Wait a minute...

The Shinigami's katana's seemed to glow and take on a different shape. One burst into dust, while the other turned into a long chain-like contraption. You couldn't make sense as to how it was possible.

As the battle began, the air seemed to get heavier and heavier; your lungs felt like they were burning.

You could hear the one armed man speak, as you were being carried away from him, "Looks like the one I want to fight isn't here."

You couldn't see what was going on anymore because Hitsugaya had your head pressed close to his chest. You struggled to pull away, but his grasp on you was too strong.

There were sounds of swords clashing, followed by the one armed man's laughter. But it wasn't long before you heard the ripping sound again, and the air around you settled.

Terrified, you lifted your head to look towards Hitsugaya. You needed to see in his eyes that it was over. But when you made eye contact, he gave you the biggest grin ever. Kind of like the one you saw on that one night when he...

"Hello again!" He said happily; his voice ringing in an irritatingly energetic high-pitch. You winced away from him.

"Put me down!" You started kicking and wiggling yourself free. He put your feet gently on the ground, and you jumped away from him immediately, gazing him over.

"Toushirou, what is going on!" You yelled at him, confused by his sudden change of personality.

"_..." Hitsugaya said your name, his voice coming from behind you. Not from the Hitsugaya you saw in front of your face.

You turned around slowly, not knowing what to expect.

Hitsugaya was standing behind you. He was clad in a black Hakama and kosode, with a large white haori draped over his shoulders. He had some sort of katana strapped around his back. He could tell you were perplexed by the look he saw in your eyes. His eyes on the other hand, were unreadable.

Matsumoto seemed to pop out beside him, wearing the same black outfit, with pink ribbons tied around her shoulders. She stuck her hand up and wiggled her fingers about as a small wave. She had a sheepish smile.

That Renji guy you had met before, he was also there. But he made no effort to expose himself to you. He kept his back turned from you, scanning over the area.

You took in the scene, in complete disbelief.

"Toushirou... You're a... Shinigami?"

* * *

**Onto the responses!**

Forbidden-Hanyou: I really appreciate that you like my story so much. I will try my best to finish this story for you, as soon as possible! I actually haven't read very many Karin and Toushirou pairings, but I am interested in giving it a look!

fluffyness-kills: Glad you like the story! As for your guess, you're just going to have to wait and see~

SasuTenLuvr: You seem to be on the right track. ;)

KhempriIrisi: I'm glad you like it!

wolflovers6: It's updated for you!


	9. CHP 9: Melted Ice

**Hooray, the long awaited next installment of Believe! I know you have all been waiting so patiently, so I really hope you enjoy this chapter. (: Responses to Reviews will be at the bottom!**

* * *

You lay restlessly in the futon that your friends had so humbly provided you, scared and alone (something you would never want to admit). You were trapped in this room; it was completely sealed off with a barrier. You gently sighed, and wiggled your body from side to side in an attempt to get comfortable, but with no avail. From within the barrier, you didn't even have the slightest conception of the time outside.

Some time had passed before the wall had begun to ripple much like water when being disturbed. You brought your attention to it as chalk-like white lines drew themselves on the wall, creating the image of a door. After a few seconds the paper door slid open. The dim light from the outside room poured in, and danced upon your face.

You covered your eyes with your arm. They had been adjusted to the dark since you were left alone for so long. When your eyes came to focus, you saw a short, childlike figure's head pop in, adorning the familiar white, spiky hair.

"Toushirou-kun?"

A grunt was your only response. You relaxed, recognizing his voice, and the cold aura that seemed to linger whenever he was present. The prodigy Taicho raised his hand towards a small, dusty lantern that was hanging from the ceiling. He chanted a small incantation, which caused a spark to burst inside of it. Suddenly, there was a dim light.

After resealing the barrier from the inside, he indignantly walked to the other side of the room, as far away from you as he could get. He sat down crossed legged on the cold floor.

"Toushi-kun..." You squeaked, sounding timid. Well, who wouldn't be when speaking to one with such power? Hitsugaya held back a shrill of disgust towards the nickname you had so pleasantly given him.

He swallowed the saliva that had begun to fill his mouth before answering, "Aa?"

"What exactly is going on?... You haven't explained anything to me. I don't even understand how you, Rukia, Rangiku, and Ichigo have these Shinigami powers, anyways. Are Shinigami supposed to be like ghosts?"

Hitsugaya chuckled to himself. You had sounded like a child. Though he immediately felt a little regret for such thoughts, as he himself hated being compared to a kid.

"We are Shinigami, _... Not ghosts. Well, aside from Kurosaki. He's only a Shinigami representative. He's not dead, nor does he live in Seireitei. He lives in the world of Humans, as do you."

"I guess that's why I've never seen a Shinigami before asides from Rukia, and Ichigo... I've always seen ghosts growing up being a Miko, but never anyone like you..." You trailed off, almost as if you were speaking to yourself.

Hitsugaya leaned the back of his head against the wall, "It's not only us. Madarame, Ayasegawa, and Abarai are also Shinigami. They're currently out looking for traces of the Arrancar that have been repeatedly attacking you. Ichigo and his friends are here as well, to protect you."

You looked at him, with a bit of disgruntlement on your face, "What's an Arrancar? Never mind, forget that. Tell me more about Shinigami and Seireitei first."

Hitsugaya had forgotten you were a mere human, and had no real knowledge of the spirit world called Seireitei, and its inner workings. In an attempt to hold back his irritation, he rubbed his temples. He didn't feel like explaining everything, but continued to talk to you in hopes of keeping you calm.

"You see, we Shinigami keep the balance between Seireitei and the Real World by eliminating problems and threats. Such as Hollow – the monsters that attacked you the other day... We're also in charge of other affairs such as transferring dead souls to Seireitei... What you would call 'Going to Heaven'," Hitsugaya paused for a brief moment to see if you were taking this all in. Your guise was confused or frustrated. He couldn't be sure. He decided to continue, "Seireitei is the world you will live in when you die. It's also where the other Shinigami and I live."

You glanced towards him, seeming half-hearted, "I thought I knew so much," you interrupted his speech, "so much about ghosts, and how the world worked. But I now realize that I know nothing. After Rukia came here, and Ichigo became a Shinigami... I didn't want to believe it. I avoided the truth for so long, but I couldn't deny it anymore... I wanted to help, but what can I do? I'm not a Shinigami! I'm only a human..."

Your fists tightened around your blanket in distress. Hitsugaya glanced towards his crossed legs. He knew you were right, but didn't want to say anything to hurt you. You didn't have powers like Ichigo's friends. You couldn't do anything. Not even to protect yourself.

You took a deep breath, grabbing his attention. You had seemed to relax a little.

"So you live in Seireitei... Does that mean... you're dead...?"

"More or less."

Your expression dampened slightly upon hearing his response.

"Like I said before, Ichigo is very much alive, so don't worry." He smiled, thinking that was what you wanted to hear. Your eyes met his bright teal ones for a quick instant, but then fell away from him.

"I know..." You faked a smile. With that being said, an awkward silence befell. In turn causing Hitsugaya to feel uncomfortable. He began searching his brain desperately for something to break the harsh quietness between you. But you were the first to speak, "What about Arrancar?"

He jumped slightly when being broken out of his thoughts, but regained composure. He had nearly forgotten about that, "Arrancar are advanced versions of Hollow, so to speak. A terrible man named Aizen stole something precious from me and all of Seireitei... Betraying us. With two other Taicho, he then fled to Hueco Mundo - the dimension breach between this world, and Seireitei where Hollow's reside – he began creating more and more Arrancar to overthrow Seireitei. The most powerful of Arrancar are dubbed 'Espada', like the blue haired man, from earlier. It's a long story, but that's the short version."

After that explanation, you seemed to appear satisfied. Or at least he hoped. You shuffled slightly.

"Why didn't you tell me all about this when we first met?"

He sighed, "We're not supposed to tell mortals. It's like breaking a law. I'm sorry."

"I understand..." You sat up from the protection of the covers, bringing your knees up to your chest and embracing them into a hug, "Why are they even after me?"

"We don't know. That's why we're protecting you right now. Though, when we first met, I noticed you had a strange Reiatsu... I can't explain it. Maybe it has something to do with it?"

Seeming satisfied with his answer, you lifted your chin away from your knees. You looked towards the boy who was sitting on the floor.

"And why are you here, instead of with your comrades? You're being way too nice."

That caught him off guard. His cheeks tinted pink, but luckily it wasn't visible in the faint candlelight, "Uh-Uhm... I-I just wanted to be here... I am the only one who can cast barriers, after all." He lied, while scratching the back of his head, probably in shame.

"Well someone needed to make sure you weren't crying like a little baby." He teased, in an attempt to hide his earlier, horrible lie.

"What? I'm not that weak!" You huffed, "I don't need you here!"

"Oh come on, you know it's a real honour to be graced with the presence of a Taicho. Let alone, Hitsugaya Toushirou."

"Oh yes, such an honour... I get the tiniest Taicho to protect me. Yay." You rolled your eyes.

"Feh! You're not that much taller than me! You can't talk!"

"(your height) to 4'4" is a big difference to me. Don't you feel degraded having to look up to me?"

"Oh, I don't worry about that. I can bring you to your knees with my Zanpakutou in an instant, that's how incredibly weak you are."

You surprisingly didn't respond with a comeback. You put your face onto your kneecaps and mumbled unheard words to yourself.

Hitsugaya avoided looking towards you, "In any case, I'll be sleeping here with you tonight. Over here, on the floor, of course." He quickly added.

"I don't mind if you lie here with me, it's cold on the floor..." You suggested, almost inaudibly.

He shrugged, thinking it seemed a little straight-forward of you, "I'm used to the cold."

"...Please..." You sounded desperate. No, you sounded frightened. Silence filled the room for a few minutes, as the two of you stared at each other, your pleading eyes telling him that you needed someone right now.

Hitsugaya sighed, and began drifting off into his thoughts,

_Why does she sound so afraid? Well, it has been a lot for a human to comprehend in just one night. She has been attacked by an Arrancar twice now. This isn't something that would just happen to any ordinary human. There has to be something more behind it all. Being a Miko with exceptional Reiatsu and the ability to see ghosts would make her a target for Hollow's, but Arrancar are more refined. They have goals, aspirations. They're on a whole different level. She's just lucky that someone has always been with her or near her while being attacked._

Hitsugaya was brought back to reality when he heard the sound of your blankets rustling as you moved. He felt sorry for you. He lifted himself from the floor, and walked up to the futon. He stared down at your figure, and began to feel awkward. He sat down beside you on the edge of the futon, creating a slight dip into the mat where his body sank.

You smiled shyly, and mouthed a silent 'thank you'. Hitsugaya nodded in response. He watched you lay back onto the futon, pulling the covers up to your face. Hitsugaya let his constantly furrowed brow relax a little, took a deep breath, and laid down beside you.

This caused yet another eerie silence to come between you. You tried to keep your distance from him for the most part; huddled up closely to the edge of the futon, as far as possible away from him.

"Does this make you uncomfortable?" Hitsugaya spurted out without thinking.

"N-no. Not at all." You squeaked, clearly lying. But he guessed you had taken as some sort of hint, seeing as you let her body sag into the tiny indent your bodies were making.

Both of your cheeks had grown warm from the close contact, even if the two of you were not really touching at all. Hitsugaya couldn't help but feel nervous; he had never been so close to a woman before. Well, save for Hinamori, but that was something he'd rather not remember right now.

"Tou-shirou..." your voice cracked, almost like a muffled sob. He propped himself up on his side to face you.

"What is it?"

"How does one... become a Shinigami?" You didn't make eye contact with him. You only stared intently on the ceiling.

_Maybe she really is uncomfortable_, he thought.

"Well, you have to be a soul, first of all. You can't be... 'Alive'." He began, "of course Kurosaki is a special case."

"That's a given. Even I can figure out that much." You said cheekily, smirking ever so slightly. For once he remained quiet, instead of coming up with a comeback for your snaky remark.

"You also need a high Reiatsu... And the ability to control it. Then you need to get accepted into the academy, by taking an entrance exam."

"You mean to tell me there's school in the afterlife too? Oh man..."

Hitsugaya grinned, "And we both know how greatly skilled you are in academics." His words were terribly drenched in sarcasm.

"Oh, you're terrible! I would actually try harder if I knew it was something like that. Real world school is different. Besides I'm always so busy with my Miko duties... I'm sure you were at the bottom of your class in Seireitei, anyways!"

"Sorry to inform you, but it was quite the opposite. I graduated years early, and I made Taicho at an extremely young age. I'm called a prodigy in Seireitei." He proudly boasted.

"Yeah, yeah. You probably cheated." You stuck your tongue out at him. He playfully scoffed at your remark and grabbed your tongue with his fingers. You quickly slipped it back into your mouth and glared at him. Your glare quickly melted into a grin, and you shared a small bout of laughter. After the chuckles died down, your face became more serious.

"When I die... How about I try to become a Shinigami so we can always be together like this?"

Hitsugaya was shocked. No one has ever done anything like that for him. It's almost like what Hinamori did for... Hitsugaya shook his head to block out the thought.

"I don't want to think of you dying." He blatantly stated, monotonously.

"What's the difference? I'll be a soul just like you."

"It's not as simple as you think..." His voice was soft, nearly a whisper, "we can be together like this for now."

"What about when you go back to Seireitei? I'll never see you again, will I?"

"I'll find a way." He assured you.

"What happens if... A Shinigami dies? Or can they not die since they're already dead...?"

Hitsugaya was caught off guard. Not knowing how to respond to it, he gaped his mouth slightly but no words came out. You sat up to stare down at his form.

"You mean...?"

He looked away from you. He didn't know what to tell you. You sat quietly for a moment, but then tears began to spill from your eyes, your body trembling.

"Toushirou, now I'm scared!" You gasped out, sobbing. Hitsugaya sat upright and pulled you close to him, you buried your face into his chest and continued to cry. He ran his hands up and down your back, comfortingly.

"Shh, shh. It'll be okay. I'm here. I promise I'll protect you..."

You sniffed, "I'm not afraid of that, I know you'll protect me," you lifted your face from his chest, causing your eyes to meet.

"I don't want _**you **_to get hurt, Toushirou!"

Hitsugaya blinked. _She's worried about me?_ He thought, while stifling a giggle that tried to escape. _I'm the Taicho of the 10__th__ squad. A fricken' child prodigy at that. I won't be going down without quite a fight._

"Promise me you won't get hurt... Promise me you won't die trying to protect me." You pleaded.

"I can't promise that..." More tears flooded your orbs. Hitsugaya stared at you in shock. Not knowing what overcame him, he leaned in and brushed his lips against yours ever so gently. Out of comfort or at least that's what he would tell himself.

He felt a tinge of disappointment when your lips didn't respond to his kiss. Clearly such actions surprised you. As he pulled back, your eyes grew wide, and confused.

Hitsugaya blushed, and felt stupid, "I-I'm sorry.. I don't know why..." He trailed off, embarrassed by what he had done. You simply smiled, and looked away from him.

"I-" you pressed your finger over his mouth, cutting him off. You parted your lips, breathed out, and closed them as if you were trying to say something but couldn't find the right words; your eyes misted over once again as they met his bright teal eyes.

"Toushi-kun, I..." you began, "for a while now, I..."

"What is it, _?" He tried to encourage you, tensing up waiting for you to finish.

_Why am I... tensing up? What do I want her to say?_He thought.

Hitsugaya realized his fists were gripping his Hakama rather tightly; he shook them and tried to relax.

"Don't you ever... feel like maybe... we should be something more?"

"What do you mean? More than friends?"

"Yeah.. I... I really ... like you." You gasped your words out, as a few tears ran down your cheeks. Your fear of rejection causing the beads to continue to form in your tear ducts.

Hitsugaya's heart skipped a beat, making him smile softly. He wrapped his arms around you, instinctively, crashing his lips into yours, pulling your body close to his. This time you returned the kiss. It was a little slow, inexperienced, but full of passion.

After the kiss had broken, you smiled up at him mischievously.

"Now who's the pervert?"

* * *

**And there we have it folks! Until next update! ;) Don't worry, there is still lots of plot left for this story!**

**Scarlet_Foxie: It's not really that she's getting away with it, he's just choosing to ignore it. xD**

**Forbidden_Hanyou: Finally, huh? ^^ I'm glad you really like this one! I have so many ideas for this story still, so don't you worry.**

**Toshiro_with_love: I'm really happy you like it! ^^**

**Fluffynesskills:I'm so happy you're enjoying the story.**


	10. CHP 10: Hopeless Concern

**Hiya folks! I'm sorry this chapter is a little shorter, but it's a necessary part to continue on with the story. (: I will try not to delay the next chapter too long. As per normal, responses to reviews are at the end!**

* * *

Hitsugaya was cuddling behind you with his arms tenderly draped around your warm body. He nestled into your shoulder, and sighed with delicate contentment. Perchance it was this intimacy that he had been yearning for: the sensation of being wanted and cared for. It was something he had not experienced since before he became a Shinigami; he truly missed the feeling of being needed.

Half-heartedly, he pulled himself away from you, and sat up from the futon; gazing down upon you, his face fell into depression. He knew that this was something he was not allowed to participate in – it was forbidden. Shinigami were not meant to love (though, authorized in particular occasions). But even more so illicit was to engage within human affairs. Falling for a human would be a solemn ignominy; certain punishment would be inevitable.

He let his fingers caress against the smoothness of your cheek, and cursed himself inwardly. His touch caused a faint smile to form on your lips, followed by the hushed gasp, "Toushi-kun..."

His guard deteriorated for a moment, he couldn't help but smile at how sweetly his name sounded as it fell from your lips, even if it were that appalling nickname you had given him; but he hastily shook the feeling and returned to his stoic, hardened state. Hitsugaya untangled himself from the sheets, sighing as he felt the warmth of your body flee from his skin. He left the barrier without turning to look back at you, keeping his customary scowl marked on his face.

He closed the barrier behind him by compressing his hand against the door. A small light encompassed the entrance, until the door itself appeared to no longer remain. Hitsugaya rested his forehead against the door in defeat, letting out an audible sigh.

_What did I get myself into? _He mentally scolded himself for his lack of discipline. He couldn't comprehend the fact on how he had let this happen.

"Toushirou."

Hitsugaya flinched at the call of his name; it was unlike him to let someone surprise him. His eyes darted to the location of the voice; Ichigo stared at him with a resolute focus.

"It's Hitsugaya Taicho..." He grumbled, cutting himself short. He was not in the mood for impolite speech (But then again, was he ever?)

"How is she?" He asked with his expression tainted with unreadable meanings. One could not decipher whether his expression was worry or fear.

"She's sleeping. She seemed to relax after she learned that you were here." Hitsugaya stepped away from the now invisible door, walking past Ichigo without another glance. Ichigo turned to stop him, grabbing Toushirou impetuously by the shoulder.

"Toushirou, listen," he began hesitantly, staring down at little Hitsugaya, "don't hurt her."

Hitsugaya blinked, "What?"

"You heard me," Ichigo repeated himself again for emphasis, "don't hurt her."

Hitsugaya pretended to be confused by what he meant, but deep down he knew what Ichigo was referring to, "yes, that is why we are protecting her."

"You know what I mean, Toushirou."

Hitsugaya stared at Ichigo impassively, almost as if he were staring right through him. And then without another word, shook from his grasp and walked away leaving Ichigo to gape at his back.

_How can he even talk to me that way... What does he know?_

Hitsugaya slammed the door behind him; Rangiku was there waiting patiently outside with her report. She knelt down at his feet, and nodded her head at him.

"Taicho," she began, ready for the consent to give her statement.

"Not now, Matsumoto." He brushed her off, and then sped off in a shun-po.

Rangiku stood up, and stared off in the direction in which her Taicho went with a worried look plastered across her face. It was not like him to avoid his duties.

"Taicho..."

She stared blankly at her feet for a few moments, until she noticed Ichigo also leave the building. He took no notice of her.

"What's wrong with you, little boy? You look sad." She said while wiggling close to him, and began prodding, trying to cover up her worry for Hitsugaya.

His eyes shot towards her, trying to hide his feelings, "... Nothing."

"Aww, I think you need some cheering up! Would you like to touch my bosom?" She giggled.

"What! Are you crazy?" Ichigo inched away from her, his face gleaming scarlet.

"There, now we have a little emotion coming from you," she grinned in triumph, "don't act so glum."

Ichigo said nothing in return. A silence began to shape amongst the two which irritated Rangiku.

Ichigo began walking away, but then stopped to say something, "Rangiku, please keep an eye on Toushirou."

"What?"

"Make sure he doesn't do anything that he shouldn't do."

She cocked her head to the side. Maybe deep inside her she knew what he was referring to, but one couldn't be sure, "What do you mean?"

"... I'm going," Ichigo used his shun-po before Rangiku could ask any more questions.

* * *

**Scarlett_Foxie: I am very happy that you are enjoying this story so much; trust me, there is still a lot of plot and ideas that I have left for it... Might not be exactly what everyone is expecting, but that's part of half the fun. ^.~ I love making suspenseful stories! Hehe.. Thanks for all the guesses as well; I will be getting to most of those shortly. (:**

**Toshiro_with_love: Honestly, I can't imagine Toushirou with someone without the bickering. xD It just seems like someone he'd end up falling for!**

**Momorii: Thank you! ^^**

**shirolover: Here you are!**


	11. CHP 11: The Pendant

**Wow! I'm so sorry for the uber lateness of this chapter! I had finals and a practicum to do, but now I am ALL FREE for the summer! :) I'll definitely try to upload more! Thank you to everyone who is supporting me and this story! You guys all rock. **

**As per usual,responses to reviews at the bottom.**

* * *

I knocked on the door courteously, instead of immediately entering. There was a feeble rustling on the other side before the door knob began to wiggle.

"Who is it?" Orihime's head poked out, "Toushirou-kun! You know you don't have to knock. You are staying here!"

I shrugged in an informal way, "Yeah, yeah."

Orihime opened the door wider, inviting me inside, "Are you hungry? I can cook you something if you are!"

My stomach churned at the very thought, "Uh, no thanks, I've already eaten."

Orihime's face fell into a slight dejection, "Aww, well that's too bad."

"Actually, I kind of wanted to ask you for some advice..." I said, wavering a little. Since when do I need to ask for counsel?

She batted her eyes, bemusedly, "Oh? What do you need?"

"Well, I..." Where to start, this is so awkward, "You know _ is really upset and anxious right now."

Orihime nodded with great fervour, "Yeah, but she's known about Shinigami for some time now... so don't worry too much."

"So she's said, but that's not the point," I tried to allude back to the previous topic before I decided against it.

"Then what is it?"

"I was thinking maybe you could do something to cheer her up. You're her friend; you know what she would like."

Orihime made her way over to her small table in the middle of the room and sat down, I stayed at the entrance, "You're her friend too, you know... She cares about you."

Heh, I think that might be a bit of an understatement, "I... don't know what girls like..." I must be some kind of idiot.

"Well, you could get her a present. Girls like that kind of thing. I love to get presents," Orihime smiled.

"A present? But it's not her birthday..." I asked in a perplexed voice. I don't understand girls; or humans for that matter.

"It doesn't have to be. You can give a girl a present whenever you want!" Orihime waved her hands around, "that's the joy of presents!"

"I see... Well, I guess I can try. Thanks, Inoue." I nodded.

"No problem!"

It wasn't until after I closed the front door behind me that I realized Orihime somehow tricked _me_ into doing something for her.

* * *

I walked naively around an indoor market-like area; something I was unfamiliar with. What kind of stuff do girls like? What would cheer _ up? How did I get conned into doing this anyways? Orihime was supposed to do something for her. I sighed distraughtly, and sat down at a bench that was surrounded by potted trees.

"Look at what Koru got me! It's so gorgeous!" a girl behind the bench said to her friend, squealing with delight. My ears perked up, maybe this could be helpful.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe it! It's such a beautiful necklace," the other girl clapped.

"And look, he even got our initials inscribed on it. 'K + H': It makes me so happy!"

_So happy? Hmm..._

"You're so lucky, Hotari! I wish Junko would get me something like that."

_Girls like necklaces?_ I scratched the back of my neck as I eavesdropped on the conversation. I couldn't really understand why a necklace was such an extravagant thing, but if that's what girls like...

* * *

"Oh, it feels so good to get out of that room!" You stretched your arms out as long as you could. Your body felt weak and cramped from being locked away in a small space for the past 24 hours.

You noticed that Hitsugaya seemed a little quiet and distracted. You hoped that what had happened last night didn't freak him out. It did make you feel a little sad when you woke up this morning and he was no longer there. But you figured he probably had some important Shinigami business to attend to.

You sighed outwardly. In some ways, you were disappointed that Toushirou was a Shinigami. That meant that he would be just as busy as Ichigo. You thought he was an ordinary teenager, just like you. What's worse is that he lives in a completely different world than you. At least Ichigo was of this earth.

_Why do I have to have feelings for someone who was practically an alien?_ You mentally scoffed.

Hitsugaya must have picked up on your negative energy because he shot you a strange glance, "Are you... feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" You lied, "I just feel a little weak from not moving around too much. But thanks for taking me out for a walk. I really appreciate it..."

"If you're feeling weak, you can go lay back down again," Hitsugaya said, almost distantly.

"No, no!" You waved your hands about frantically, "Please! I just want to stretch my legs! It feels really good!" You smiled, placing your arms behind your head in a cute manner.

He didn't even bother to glance over at you, "If you say so."

Your smiled melted away. You began to feel nervous from his distant attitude. Maybe he regrets what happened yesterday night. Maybe he really didn't feel that way about you. Now that you think about it, he never did actually say he had feelings for you. Your head began to spin.

"Toushirou?" You asked hesitantly.

"What is it?" This time he looked towards you, but the look in his eyes were still unreadable.

You fumbled your thumbs together, "Do you think... I mean. Are you feeling alright?"

He blinked, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"But you're acting so..."

"_, I'm fine."

You bit your lip. He seemed a little grumpy towards you, and this only made you worry more but you no longer knew what to say. The two of you began walking alongside each other in silence.

Hitsugaya broke the silence, "Actually, there is something I've been meaning to..."

"Are you mad?" You broke out, completely interrupting him, "is it because of what happened? I'm sorry, Toushirou. I didn't mean to... I just..."

"What? No. Would you just shut up for a second? This is hard enough as it is!" He said grumpily. He didn't seem in the mood for your worried antics.

But then you noticed the dust of pink that harboured upon his cheeks.

He rustled in his pocket and shoved his closed hand towards you, "Here, I got this for you... It's a pendent, I know it's kind of lame. But I really wanted you to have it."

You gasped in disbelief, _What? A gift? But why?_

He opened his palm and you took in the sight of a beautiful glass snowflake pendent. It had a small bead of silver in the centre of the flake.

"Oh my gosh, Toushirou! It's beautiful!" You gasped, "but you didn't need to do that! Why did you do that?"

Hitsugaya merely shrugged and continued to act cool, "I don't know. I just wanted to."

Hitsugaya handed you the pendent, and that's when you noticed there was a small engraving on the silver bead. You rubbed your thumb across it as you read the 'T + _'. (The _ signifies the first letter of your name). You began to blush.

"Wow, Toushi... I-I don't know what to say."

He smirked, "You could say thank you for starters." Seemed like he was feeling a bit more comfortable since he began teasing you again.

"Of course! Thank you!" You smiled brightly, and then hesitantly gave him a peck on the cheek to which he slightly flinched at. His cheek felt very warm against your lips.

Shyly, you asked, "Does this mean you want to be my... boyfriend?"

Hitsugaya cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow, "Boyfriend? What's that?"

You couldn't hold your laughter in to which he shot you a disappointed look. He sounded so juvenile but you quickly remembered that things might be different in the land of Seireitei, "Uh, well. It's when you make a commitment to somebody. You know, you'd be my boyfriend, I'd be your girlfriend. Like, a relationship."

"We are already friends, aren't we?"

"Well, yeah. But being my boyfriend means you're more than that," You smiled towards him, and put the pendent around your neck. You felt so full of pride wearing it, "like a lover."

Hitsugaya began to blush again, "I-I guess we could give that a try..." he smiled softly, but then his eyes went wide and he turned to look at you, "if that's okay with you?"

You couldn't contain yourself any longer and leaped at him; you wrapped your arms around him in a warm embrace, but the suddenness of it almost caused him to lose his balance, "Oh, Toushi-kun! Of course I will be your girlfriend!"

* * *

**Scarlett_Foxie: Here are a bit more squishy moments! I don't know how many exactly I can squeeze out for you, but I promise I will try my best. x] I'll also see what I can do about your other request. I'll figure out a way to put it in there and make it relevant to the story.**

**Evalyd_Yamazaki: Thank you, and for the advice/warning as well. I do know that self-inserts aren't allowed, but I have never heard anything about reader-inserts. My insert is not me, I'm writing this for the readers to be in the place of the _ name. :3**

**Toshiro_with_love: I'm glad you can pick up on what I'm trying to get through to the readers! Thank you for the continued support! ^^  
**

**turtlebuddies: I am trying to foreshadow the best I can, and use every little detail that I have put into the story into the bigger picture. I'm really happy you like this story. :) I think you might also be on the right track with the guessing, but we will have to see. ;)**

**SasuTenLuvr: I will try my best to get more details on the forbidden love... I do have a couple of ideas, so don't you worry! Thank you for all the praise! *_***

**Momorii: I'm trying! Here it is! ^^**

**DreamStar14: I'm happy you like it so much! ^^**


	12. CHP 12: Caught

**Hey guys. I'm not sure how many of you still read this, but I would like to apologize for my lack of updates. You see, I got a review that was quite discouraging and I wasn't sure if I should continue this story or not. I have so many ideas, and basically EVERYTHING that has happened in this story is leading up to a big finish... but I was told that these reader insert stories are not allowed and that my story could be deleted without warning. :( So I was just wondering, if it was okay with you guys, if I could give your "insert" a name, and kind of turn her into an "OC" as to keep the story legal... I would really like to finish this story so you guys are not left with a cliff-hanger, and I have also planned to put in a few of your guys' requests... so please give me some feedback on that.**

**Once again, I'm truly sorry for not updating in ages... I hope you guys are still reading.**

**And as per usual, the replies will be at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

_Ugh, what have I done__...? _Hitsugaya collided his palm to his forehead, while thinking back to the events of yesterday, _I am so foolish. How did I let her sweet talk me into getting more __involved into this mess?_

Hitsugaya sat cross legged at a table in the middle of the room, and sighed in utter defeat. He couldn't fathom how he was going to get control of this situation before it got further out of hand. What would he do if someone found out?

_I let my stupid, naive heart get the better of me..._

The doorknob on the front door began to jiggle, causing Hitsugaya to perk up. When it opened, Orihime walked in carrying a brown paper bag full of groceries, with Rangiku following behind her.

"Oh, Taicho! Here you are!" Rangiku sang, "I was wondering what happened to you after your little temper tantrum," she teased, hoping to get a reaction out of him.

Hitsugaya shot her a glare, but remained quiet. He felt irritated for being interrupted from his thoughts.

Orihime set the bag down on the counter in the kitchen, and began unpacking its contents, "So I talked to _-san, Toushirou-kun," she called out from the kitchen, "she told me about the gift you got her."

Hitsugaya bit his bottom lip, feeling a bit nauseated that Orihime would bring this up now.

"Oh, a gift?" Rangiku pried, "I didn't know you were the sentimental type, Taicho."

"Shut up, Matsumoto," Hitsugaya grumbled, and refused to make eye contact with her.

"What did you get her?" She wiggled close to him, and began prodding him in the side.

A vein in his forehead became engorged with blood, and began to swell as he scooted away, shooting a death glare in her general direction.

"He got her a beautiful snowflake pendent. She showed it to me, it was so pretty! He even got it engraved!" Orihime opened her big mouth and gushed madly.

"Aww, that's too cute!" Rangiku shrilled, then turned to Hitsugaya, and put her hand near her mouth to whisper, "What does it mean to get it engraved?"

Hitsugaya merely rolled his eyes, acting as though she was too under-educated to understand. Though, he wasn't quite sure at first, himself. He wasn't really too sure about what its meaning meant, either.

Banging of cupboard doors could be heard from the kitchen, "You know what else she told me, Toushirou-kun?"

_Oh, plea-...__  
__  
_"She told me that you asked her to be your girlfriend!"

_-se, no..._

Matsumoto blinked, and straightened out her spine; making her posture perfect, but her face became completely emotionless. Hitsugaya prayed she didn't somehow know what that had meant, but he indeed had a bad feeling that she did.

"Well, that's... good," Rangiku said, staring blankly towards Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya evaded her stares, and stood up from the table, "I need to go," he said abruptly and then quickly left the house.

Orihime poked her head from outside of the kitchen, "Is he okay, Rangiku-san?"

She looked towards Orihime, and smiled, "Yeah, he's okay. I'm just going to talk to him for a second, though. I'll be right back!" She then hesitantly followed after him.

* * *

Hitsugaya walked briskly away from Orihime's house, but it wasn't long before Matsumoto caught up to him.

She confronted Toushirou, "Taicho, you have to stop this..."

Toushirou recoiled, looking towards his vice captain like she had just stepped out of line; with that being said, Matsumoto and Hitsugaya's friendship had always been a little more than the normal subordinate relationship. Or at least, that was how Rangiku saw it.

"Matsumoto, I'm your Taicho. Don't give me orders."

"I'm not asking you this as your Fukutaicho. I'm asking this as a friend," Rangiku exhaled, "You know the consequences..."

"You think that I meant to let this happen?" Hitsugaya scowled, rubbing his temples in a disgruntled matter.

_I never wan__ted to fall for a__...__ human... _he mentally scoffed.

Rangiku huddled into herself; shuffling her feet a little, and crossing her arms under her chest, "Besides, what about Momo...?"

"Momo!?" Hitsugaya unintentionally spat out.

"Momo..." he repeated, a little more calmly, "what about her?"

"I thought you..." she gently whispered.

"You thought what? That I loved her?" he asked with a hint of irritation hanging in his words.

Rangiku bit her lip, feeling as though she had crossed a thin line.

"I don't! Even if I had, what would it matter? She's hopelessly, and utterly devoted to her dear Aizen Taicho," Hitsugaya said coldly.

Rangiku only looked down, unsure of what else to say. She could clearly hear the frustration in his voice.

"She never cared about me that way." He squeezed his fists at his side, and began to bite his own lip, "she has never looked at me that way, and she never will. Aizen is all that matters to her."

Hitsugaya shook his head, and left in a whirl of shun-po.

Rangiku, once again, stared towards the direction that her Taicho had left. She sighed, not knowing what else she could do.

* * *

Hitsugaya breathed out heavily, cursing himself inwardly. He sat down on the edge of the building, holding his head in his palm.

_Momo... hah. That's a good __one... Momo.__  
__  
_He rocked his head back and forth, and smiled at his own foolishness.

_Cursed humans and their emotions. Ugh. I'm such an idiot.__  
__  
_"Toushi-kun?"

Hitsugaya sighed, "I'm sorry." he blathered out at you, which caught you off guard.

"You're... sorry?" You questioned him.

"I'm late, aren't I?"

"It doesn't matter, I just got here." You smiled sweetly, and sat down beside him. You leaned onto his shoulder; it caused Hitsugaya to become stiff, which immediately caused you to withdraw.

"Is something wrong?" you blinked, "You're not being yourself."

"No, I'm fine," he grumbled out.

You peered at him curiously, "You didn't even make a comment about me being late..."

"I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind."

Once again, you let yourself lean against him, "well, that's okay. You know you can always talk to me about it."

"It's too complicated right now."

"I can wait until whenever you are ready. For now, just try to calm down, okay? Everything will find a way to work itself out. I promise."

Hitsugaya peered at you with a hopelessness dwelling in his eyes; He knew that what you said certainly couldn't be true. But soon a faint smile crept up on his lips, "thank you."

He wrapped an arm around you, which caused you to cuddle into him further, and then began to let himself relax.

_Stupid human emotions..._

"So how was your grandfather?" Hitsugaya attempted to clear his mind.

Nuzzling your face into his chest, you replied, "He's doing better. He was a little worried that I had gone away after being 'sick' for so long, but luckily Orihime told him that we had a group project to work on so I was spending the weekend at her house."

"Well, that was smart of Orihime..." He grumbled a little, remembering how she just completely and utterly revealed him to Rangiku. He began to let his mind wander to that topic again.

You peered up at him, "I know you look pretty cute with that frown on your face, but you look much cuter when you smile."

He looked down at you, and blushed a little, "Is that so?"

You nodded and smiled genuinely, "of course!"

"Hmph," he sounded disgruntled, but couldn't help but let himself smirk slightly, which in turn caused you to blush.

"You know, in about 3 weeks I have a wedding ceremony."

"What?!" He suddenly blurted out.

"Oh, yeah. I forget you Shinigami are unfamiliar with the human world," you chuckled, causing him to frown again, "I mean that I am going to be dancing in the ceremony. I'm a Miko, remember?"

"So what do you do, exactly?" He cocked his head curiously.

"Mostly, I sell good luck charms to the visitors to the shrine or do Omikuji fortune telling..." You began explaining your duties, "or help grandpa clean the shrine."

"I see."

"Occasionally, I dance for ceremonies. But I have also been trained to speak with ghosts... Though, I've never actually been able to speak to one, I could only vaguely see them..."

"Well, you're kind of talking to one now. Guess that means you've learned a new skill."

"Very funny," you stuck your tongue out at him.

He smiled.

"If you want to see, I'll ask grandpa if he can sneak you in."

"Sounds like a plan."

You smiled, "I was hoping you'd say that."

You were excited to show off your skills. But with your luck, with the added nervousness and stress to impress, you'd probably trip or stumble or fall off rhythm. The nervousness welling up inside you caused you to grab your pendent and begin fiddling with it.

"Oh, you're still wearing it?" Your actions caught his eye, and he looked down at the pendent in between your fingers.

"Well, of course! I absolutely love it... It's very special to me."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Now I just have to get you a present in return!" You nodded exuberantly.

"You already gave me one."

"Oh yeah? What?"

"You," Hitsugaya said awkwardly and completely out of character. He could hear Matsumoto's voice resounding in his ears, talking about him becoming sentimental. He quickly dismissed that thought and vowed to sound less emotional.

His cell phone began to beep before you were able to say something. You pulled away from him, and he plucked it out of his pocket, flipping it open in a smooth motion.

"Hollow."

He ate his gikon-gan and his Shinigami form burst out of his gigai, "my Gigai will walk you home."

The Gigai smiled brightly, and dorkishly.

You pouted slightly, "Can't you let Renji or someone take care of it?"

He smiled softly, "but that would be ignoring my duty."

You sighed, "Okay, I guess."

Hitsugaya leaned towards you and pecked your lips softly, "don't worry, I'll be fine."

"I can't help but worry," the thoughts of the monsters scared you deeply. Unaware of how they could stand up to them without any fear what-so-ever.

"That's because you haven't seen me in action, yet." He smirked, cockily, and then disappeared in front of your eyes.

* * *

**Axeo: Thank you so much for the heads-up... I really appreciate it.**

**DreamStar14: You'll have to read on to find out. :)**

**Scarlett Foxie: I'm trying my best to make it seem like he is otherworldly. xD The pendent will have a very significant meaning, but what it is... well, you'll have to wait to find out! And don't worry, there is more teasing to be added! **

**Toshiro with love: I'm really glad you liked the pendent. I designed it myself (hahaha). **

**SasuTenLuvr: More to come on the forbidden aspect! Don't you worry! ^^ I hope the suspense won't kill you, lol.**

**Evalyd Yamazaki: They will... and very soon!**


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